Sentinel
by FlameCatcher
Summary: Haunted by her past, Maira Kazume escapes to the only place she can; the Japanese branch of the True Cross Order. Unfortunately, safety and comfort will always be too far away and the pain will always run faster. Rated T for language and because I'm paranoid.
1. A Breath

The first time he'd seen her, he thought she was some kind of forest spirit.

She was leaning over the railing of the bridge, looking at the water below. The evening air made her hair flow in a way that obscured her face. He couldn't help but stare at her, even though he was too far away to see anything else; her hair was dark, she was short but not entirely slim. Instead of the white and pink uniform, she was wearing a leather jacket and skinny jeans.

He must have been staring at her for too long, because she turned to him. He couldn't tell if she saw him, but her reaction was instant. She scrambled away from the railing as if it had burned her. She shoved her hands in her pockets and began walking towards his general direction, looking down.

Even when she passed by him, he was still staring. She was close enough that he could smell her shampoo. She didn't even glance at him, but he could make out one green eye behind the curtain of brown.

As stunned as he was, she faded from his memory soon afterwards.

* * *

He only remembered again her after she walked into his classroom, hands in her pockets and her head down. Okumura-sensei had introduced her as Maira Kazume, a transfer student from Europe. She looked up at the mention of her name, sparing everyone a short glance before sitting down behind Izumo.

He tried not to stare at her again, but he found the very thought of her too distracting. There was something about her that he couldn't put his finger on. She wasn't the first quiet or shy person he'd met. Heck, she wasn't even as pretty as he thought she was on the bridge.

"-Suguro-kun?" Okumura-sensei broke him out of his trance.

"Yes?" Ryuji asked, dumbfounded.

Okumura-sensei frowned. "I asked you if you know any water-class demons." He repeated his question. Ryuji tried to fight off the blush that was creeping it's way to his face. As he got up to answer the question, he noticed Maira looking at him. She was hunched over her notes, but was looking at him blankly, as if he wasn't really there.

Magic Seals was next. Suguro had managed to get the newcomer off his mind, but it didn't really matter now. Shura didn't like wasting time to check if anyone had studied.

Instead, the woman began her lecture right away. This lesson was about demon-inflicted seals, where a human was marked by a demon either as prey or a charge. There were high ranking demons from all classes that could perform such a seal, but very few of them needed to compete with their brethren, and almost none of them wanted to protect a mortal.

"Well, does anyone know of any such seals?" Shura asked, expecting to be met with complete silence. Maira raised her hand timidly, and Shura lit up.

"Air-type demons have a special seal, unlike the other classes, where each demon has it's own, indivintual seal." She said. Her voice was low, and a bit strained.

Shura took no notice of the girl's discomfort, and clapped her hands.

"Good, good. Can you draw it?" She asked. Maira slid from her seat and walked over to the black board, after taking the piece of chalk Shura offered her.

Suguro almost missed it. The small, airy flick of her wrist as she began drawing the seal. He didn't make much of it though; her wrists seemed so bony, her sleeve was probably in the way. By the time she was finished, Suguro wasn't able to tell where each line began and where it ended. It wasn't messy, by any means. It looked as if she had practised drawing it many times before. Even the circles were perfectly round. Shura nodded satisfied and Maira went back to her seat.

"As I was saying, the seal cannot be removed by either the human subject or the demon that inflicted it. It will, however, disappear if either die." Shura continued.

"Don't familiars do that to their masters?" Rin asked, and Suguro was surprised to find out that the half-breed had actually been paying attention.

"Not always. The demon must be very powerful to do it, and even First-Upper class Tamers have next to zero chance of being marked. Oddly enough, demons with the ability to do it target mortals who haven't received the taint. Of course they do, after they've been marked." Shura answered.

Suguro glanced at Maira. She was hunched over her notes again, her hair falling down in a way that obscured her face. He noticed that she was still wearing the leather jacket, although the rest of her attire had been replaced with a white button down shirt and a pink skirt. He also noticed that the jacket was a bit too big for her, and covered half her skirt when she stood. Wait, why was she standing?

He looked at his friends, only to see them up as well. He frowned, figuring that the bell had rang without him noticing. As soon as he got up, Shima practically pushed him out of the way and ran up to Maira, who was getting ready to leave.

They talked, him throwing pick-up lines every now and again, and her in a quiet, barely audible voice. She had stiffened and seemed to expect Shima to stop talking.

"Leave her alone, you're probably scaring her." Suguro said as he and Konekomaru made their way to them. Shiemi and Rin weren't far behind.

"I'm Suguro by the way." He said to the girl. He towered over her, almost as much as he did over Koneko. "This is Miwa, this idiot's Rin and that's Shiemi. Oh, and that's Kamiki." He introduced his classmates to her, and she simply nodded. She kept her face blank, but otherwise looked ready to take off running.

"Hey, are we still eating together today?" Rin asked. Everyone answered in grunts or hums, except for Kamiki.

"What about you, Polkabrows?" Rin asked casually, obviously not getting the message the first time around.

"Polkabrows?" Izumo's eye twitched at the name.

"I've got better things to do." She said coldly. "Now, out of the way." She said as she pushed her way out.

"Man, she's soooo cold..." Shima complained as he watched her go.

"Maira, you wanna join too?" Rin asked, ignoring Kamiki's rejection.

"I've gotta get back early..." She trailed off, about to turn around and leave as well.

"Don't worry, you'll be back at your dorm in no time!" Shima reassured her and swung one arm over her shoulder to keep her from leaving. Maira's left eyebrow twitched as she glanced at Shima's arm. Suguro wouldn't be surprised if she punched him for it.

"I don't stay at the dorms." She answered simply and ducked under Shima's hold.

With thinking much on it, all five students stuck their heads out of the door to watch her go. She pulled on a pair of bright green headphones and practically ran to the door, with her key in hand.

"I think she likes me." Shima said after she exited the cram school, earning a whack in the back of the head from Suguro.


	2. And A Start

Everyone was happily seated at Rin and Yukio's dorm cafeteria, enjoying the food Rin had made for them. The table wasn't long and neither were the benches and, as it turned out, the people were too many. One either side of both benches, at least half a butt was hanging out.

Suguro had the misfortune of sitting dead in the middle of one of the benches, and could barely move his arms without nudging Koneko or Shima.

"I guess it's a good thing Kazume-san and Kamiki-san didn't come after all." Konekomaru said after Godaiin accidentaly knocked the spoon out of his hands.

"Sorry, Miwa." Godaiin apologised and tried to scoot away from Koneko, but almost fell off the bench.

"Speaking of which, where _does_ Kazume live?" Rin asked absent-mindedly.

"Her family home is right outside the Academy town. That's what Me- the principal said anyways." Yukio answered while trying to reach for his glass of water without hitting Shiemi.

"Oh, you guys have a new classmate? But it's the middle of the semester." Godaiin said.

"Yeah, it's a little weird." Shima agreed, taking a bite.

"Not to mention it's a Friday. Do you think she'll have to take the test next week?" Suguro added.

"The what now?" Rin asked, his spoon slipping from his hands and splattering soup all over his brother.

"Brother!" Yukio chastised, and tried to find a paper towel.

"Here." Shiemi handed one to Yukio, who started rubbing his glasses furiously.

"I think so. Someone will have to tell her, though." Konekomaru said, ignoring Rin's dumbfounded expression. Everyone turning to Yukio, who had just placed his glasses back on his nose.

"What?"

"You _do _have her e-mail, right?" Suguro asked. "You should tell her about the test."

"But it's not even my class!" Yukio protested.

"Okay, give me her e-mail and I'll fill her in." Shima said and extended his hand.

"No, you'll just try to hit on her." Suguro said, slapping his friend's hand.

"I don't hit on _everyone_." Shima tried to argue, only to get laughed at. Konekomaru sighed. "I guess it's a house call, then?"

"I don't know where she lives." Yukio dismissed the idea. "Besides- Hey!"

Rin had managed to jump off the bench without knocking anyone off, and was holding something in his hands.

"And, send!" He said to himself triumphantly. Only then did Yukio realise that his phone wasn't in his pocket anymore.

"Brother, what have you done?" He asked, apalled by the possibilities.

"I just texted her about the test." Rin said defensively.

"But...do you even know when it is?" Shima asked, remembering Rin's reaction earlier.

"Or what class it is?" Suguro asked, already knowing the answer.

"Er, no. But I told we've got a test."

"Give me that." Suguro said.

"That's my cellphone." Yukio mumbled, knowing no one -except maybe Shiemi- would hear him. Rin obediently handed the cell to Suguro.

"There. You should probably study too, Rin." Suguro said after he was finished.

"I still don't know _anything_ about it..." Rin said, making Suguro want to punch him, even from across the table.

"It's getting late." Godaiin commented, looking at the clock on the wall. Shiemi almost jumped.

"I promised mother I would be home early to help her!" She got off the bench as gracefully as she could, what with Rin and Yukio flunking her from both sides.

"Yeah, and I've got club activities tomorrow." Koneko agreed, doing the same.

Soon enough, it was just the Okumuras left in the dorm. And Ukobach too, but he hadn't shown his face during dinner. Kuro was out hunting, and would probably be back in the morning.

"Well, I'm off to bed." Rin declared. "Are you coming?"

"Not yet. I have some work to do." Yukio said, glancing at his phone screen.

* * *

When Rin woke up, he found Kuro right next to his pillow, but Yukio was gone. The bed was made, so either he had left earlier, or he hadn't slept in at all. He checked his phone for messages, but he had none. On his desk was a note.

_I've got a mission. I'll be back late. Eat without me. -Yukio_

Rin frowned as he read it. Yukio had been spending less and less time in the dorm, which was at first understandable. He was a high school student, a cram school teacher and an exorcist, so free time was scarce. But that didn't mean he should leave in the middle of the night, or skip breakfast and lunch.

Rin thought it was time to visit his old man.

He hadn't been there in a while, because school consumed a lot of time. As he boarded the train, Kuro in tow, he noticed a semi-familiar head of brown.

Maira was sitting with her back to him, reading a book. Rin was about to sit next to her when he remembered how uncomfortable she was the day before. Perhaps she had trouble adjusting, but Rin didn't to risk bothering her. He sat a couple of booths away, hoping that she didn't feel offended if she noticed him sitting away from her.

Absent-mindedly, he watched her from where he sat. Another woman sat next to her at some point, and told her something. Maira turned to the woman and nodded, and they switched seats. Rin saw the woman fidget with something, probably her handbag, but Maira had turned to look at her too. The woman was to absorbed in whatever she was doing to notice the stares from either high schooler.

Absently, Rin leaned forward in his seat, and saw that Maira's expression held some resentment, like she knew the woman. He leaned even closer, and suddenly realised that he was about to fall off the seat. Sitting upright, Rin tried to focus on Maira's voice, but she wasn't speaking. Rather, a disembodied voice announced his station. When he got up, so did Maira. The exited the train through different doors, but when Rin got off, he couldn't see her anywhere.

Rin made his way towards the church, looking around to find places he'd been before. Of course, he'd been raised in these streets, but seeing them didn't always bring back good memories. He thought he saw Maira again, sitting in one of the swings in the playground, but it turned out to be someone else. Rin shook his head, accidentally head-butting Kuro, who was perched on his shoulder.

* * *

His father's grave had recently been cleaned up, and there was a still cold can of beer next to the tombstone- Shiro's favorite. Rin smiled as he pictured him drinking it. Before he could say anything to his father, he heard a shriek.

He took running, careful not to knock any vases down. When he got to the source of the noise, he found out he was too late. A young woman was laying on the ground, a bouquet of roses discarded next to her. At first he thought the rose petals were framing her head, but he soon realised it was blood. The woman had a look of utter terror in her eyes, and seemed to be staring at one of the graves. She wasn't breathing.

"Rin!" One of the priests/exorcists of the church had run up to him, having heard the shriek as well.

"W-What happened?" He asked, as he saw the gruesome sight. Rin was at a loss for words. He instead tried to concentrate on the smell. He couldn't trace any demons.

"Rin." The exorcist repeated, this time much calmer. "Go inside. I'll call the police."

Rin waited in the kitchen until the police came. As a witness, he had to be questioned, but he first needed to wait for his guardian, who was none other than Mephisto. The exorcist that was with him told him to say that they were together when they discovered the body.

Rin also needed to call his brother, see if he had gotten home okay. Mephisto arrived twenty minutes later, with a manic grin plastered on his face.

"And here I thought interrogations only took place at a police station." He commented and handed his coat to one of the exorcists.

"Not interrogation, sir. We just have some questions for the boy, seeing as he found the body." The detective said, about to light a cigarette.

"No smoking inside, please." One of the exorcists said sharply, making the detective begrudgingly put the cigarette back in it's pack.

"Now then, if you would all please leave the room." He started, and the exorcists as well as the second policeman retreated to the chapel. Mephisto, the detective and Rin were the only ones left in the kitchen.

"You too, sir." The detective said.

"I know my charge would feel much better with me here." Mephisto insisted. Rin disagreed, but there was no reason to kick Mephisto out.

"So, you're name is..?"

"Rin Okumura. Age fifteen."

"And when did you find the body?"

Rin glance at the clock. It read 5:35.

"I heard a scream around 4:50, more or less. I was with the priest when we found the body." He answered.

"And what were you doing here?"

"I was visiting my father's grave. He was the priest here, but after he died I moved with my brother to True Cross Academy." Rin wanted to keep the questions few; he was in no mood for talking. Kuro nudged his ankle with his head.

"I see. Anything particular about the body?"

"No, sir. I mean, I didn't look."

* * *

The questioning was short, but it was an hour before he was allowed to leave the monastery. Outside it had gotten dark, and Mephisto profusely refused to let Rin take the train back home. So now, Rin was stuck in a pink limo with Mephisto and Kuro, who was hungry as all hell. He paced up and down the leather seats, much to Mephisto's dismay, and constantly yowled about his hunger. Rin promised him that they would be back at the dorms in a few minutes, and that had calmed him down some.

"So, Rin." Mephisto began. "Did anything unusual happen?"

"A woman died." Rin deadpanned. He was still too shocked.

"Obviously. But by whom, or rather, what?"

"I couldn't sense a demon." Rin said, looking down. "Why would someone do this to a fellow human?" He thought out loud. Mephisto smirked, as if he knew something.

"Truth be told, they only let you off the hook because that wasn't the first death." He said. Rin's head snapped up.

"Oh yes, many deaths all over the city. Murders. And all of them in the same fashion." He said, his smirk growing into a grin. "So far, they know it's a rare toxin that causes the bleeding without harming the body itself. Well, not that rare, I guess. Moriyama-san's garden has the plant that produces the toxin." Mephisto looked as if he was actually excited.

Rin's brow furrowed. "Who do they think it is?"

"Considering Britain had the same problem a few months back, I'd say it's a group of people rather than one person. An organization of assassins!" He said, clapping his hands together.

Rin tried hard not to pay attention to Mephisto's enthusiasm. Demon King or not, there were limits as to how exciting the death of an innocent could be. And to Rin, there was no need for a limit.

"By the way... Is Yukio still on his mission?" He asked, suddenly remembering his brother. After the questioning, he had just forgot about calling him.

"Hmmm? Oh no! His mission is quite challenging, you see. I would _love _to discuss it with you, but I'm afraid we're almost home." He said, obviously dodging a question Rin had never intended to ask.

* * *

As soon as Rin reached his dorm, the exhaustion began to settle in. Taking slow and unbalanced steps, he made his way into the kitchen, where he served Kuro his dinner. Images of the woman began to float about his head, and suddenly the thought of food made him sick to his stomach.

He ran upstairs to the bathroom, no longer needing to hold back the bile that had risen in his throat. He felt as though he'd been heaving his guts for days when he was done, and his vision was becoming a little hazy. Stumbling, he collapsed in his bed.


	3. What You Did Last Saturday

Yukio glanced at his wrist watch. It was past breakfast time, and his stomach had taken notice. The woman next to him was silent and solemn. At least, he thought she was solemn. She was dressed in black, but not the attire exorcists wore; it was tight-fitting and covered every inch of her, except for her right shoulder and eyes, which shone green. Her exposed shoulder bore an intricate mark, that Yukio couldn't even begin to discern.

"Your colleague is late." The woman commented. 'Colleague' referred to Shura who was, no doubt, still sleeping. Yukio sighed as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Perhaps we should start without her. She knows where we're going." He said, resisting the urge to add an 'I hope' at the end of his sentence. The woman glanced at him, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Alright." She said after a while. "I think," She tapped her chin. "I'll take the high route. Now, you make sure you keep a mirror nearby; Gorgons are horrible sneaks but you should still be careful."

"Don't worry." Yukio said, loading his gun. "Exorcists never look into the eyes of demons."

* * *

Suguro clicked his tongue loud enough for the librarian to scowled at him. He ignored her, and continued shuffling through the books. Madame Mystère had assigned them a verse from Norse mythology to study, but his textbook didn't seem to have that particular one. So, he had resorted to the library, but so far had found nothing on the verse.

Another student came up to him, and began searching for a book right next to him. When he turned to look, he was met with dark brown hair and bright green headphones. She hadn't noticed him, but she was close enought that he could almost hear the music humming from her headphones.

"Kazume." He said as a way of greeting. She stopped searching and turned slowly to him.

"Oh, hi." She said, sounding a little skeptical.

"Are you looking for the verse too?" Suguro asked, feeling a little uncomfortable. She had gone back to searching as soon as she had said hi, and suddenly lit up.

"Found it!" She hissed triumphantly as she held the book in question.

"But-" She turned back to him, as if just now acknowledging his presence.

"I'll guess I'll copy it down...?" She said, thinking out loud to herself.

"No worries, we can study it together." Suguro said, and immediately realised what he'd said. She squinted at him for a few seconds, while he was trying to find a way to take back what he'd said.

"Okay..." She said slowly, convinced. Suguro raised an eyebrow at her, but she ignore it. They made their way to one of the tables, and sat across from each other.

"Alright, so it's just this one thing." Suguro mumbled, indicating the verse with his finger. Maira nodded as she removed her headphones from her head.

"Go first. I'm a slow reader." She said, tracing the hem of her jacket. He nodded and began reading. The verse was small and easy to remember, so it only took him a few minutes. When he was done, he passed the book over to her and began reciting. Maira nodded when he was done, and began reading it too. It took her a little while longer, but in the end she could recite it just as well.

Then, she took out a piece of paper and wrote it down.

"It helps me remember." She answered before he could ask.

"Huh. So, did you get the text about the test?" He asked, trying to make small talk.

"Yes." She seemed to be just as uncomfortable as he was, maybe a little more.

"I didn't know you guys had started hanging out!" Shima exclaimed and wrapped his arm around Maira, who almost jumped off the chair. Shima had apparently walked up to them without being noticed by either.

"Bon, you're supposed to tell your best friend about hotties!" He continued. Suguro flushed, and Maira seemed ready to pass out. Or punch someone. Suguro could easily bet on the latter.

"Wh-What are talking about?!" He managed, earning a 'shush' from the librarian as well as a few weird looks from the other students. Shima just laughed it off and sat next to Maira.

"You know, you should sit with us on Monday." Shima suggested, leaning towards her. Maira's ears had turned into a vibrant shade of red.

"Dude! Leave her alone!" Suguro tried not to yell again.

"It-it's fine..." Maira began to say while trying to hide her face behind her collar.

"Good! I'll see you on Monday!" Shima said and, as suddenly as he had appeared, he disappeared. And by disappear, Suguro meant that his pink-haired friend strutted out of the library like he owned it.

When he looked back at Maira, her blush had just began to subside.

"Don't pay him any attention. He's a terrible flirt." He said, trying to ease the tension. She looked up at him as if he was crazy.

"That was flirting?" She whispered, even though she sounded frustrated.

"That's what he calls it." He answered with a shrug. She smiled a little, but still kept the better half of her face behind her collar. There was nothing else to talk about, and it was making him feel uneasy.

"Well, I'd better get going." She said and slid away from her seat. He nodded to her and got back to reading the verse. He pretended not to notice the relief that washed over her face when she passed him by on her way out.

* * *

**Woo! Short chapter. Think of it as a filler of shorts, I just couldn't come up with anything else for the third chapter or add anything from the fourth chapter...So yeah...this can, indeed, be skipped.**


	4. Gorgon

**Just a quick little author note, don't mind me! I have to say I'm really grateful for (and surprised at) all the support so far. And now, a quick little answer to Elaine Weasly:**

**I am very, _very_ sadistic when I write. So, I've decided to load Bon onto the train called 'unrequited love' and take him to hell... *insert Satan's laugh***

* * *

Yukio was laying flat on his back, his gun discarded somewhere to his right. He almost looked at his attacker, but immediately remembered who the target was. Instead, he focused on the demon's sandaled feet. The demon, the Gorgon to be exact, had taken the shape of a woman, clad in a green silk dress and sandals, and when it attacked him, he caught a glimpse of it's hair. Long, slim black snakes that emerged from it's scalp and reached low enough for some of them to be visible to Yukio, even from down there.

Remembering what his partner had said, he reached into his coat for the mirror he had brought along. He felt a wave of relief rushed over him as he found it. Gorgons, he remembered, could only petrify someone only if they looked directly at them, so by using the mirror to dodge it's attacks, Yukio stood a chance. Inwardly, he cursed Shura for being late.

He flipped the mirror open and rolled to his right, where his gun had been flunged to. His fingertips connected with the barrell, and the Gorgon hissed.

"_It has weapons?_" It hissed, it's voice was low but still sounded like nails against the blackboard.

"_No._" It continued, seeing the gun in Yukio's hand. He sprung up, careful to keep his back turned to the Gorgon, with the mirror at just the right angle. The Gorgon lunged forward as he tried to aim, and the bullet only grazed it's arm. It had a chance at snapping Yukio's neck right then and there, but the bullet surprised it. Green fluid rushed out of the wound, and the Gorgon seemed to panic at the sight.

"_Weapon?!_" It hissed angrily, glared at Yukio's exposed back. Calculating it's next move, Yukio took off running, making sure to fire his gun every chance he got. The Gorgon was hard on his heels, but seemed to be bidding it's time. He glanced at the mirror, seeing the Gorgon's face become distorted with disgust. When it stopped running, however, he realised it was fear.

"_It had friends too?!_" The Gorgon sounded infuriated, but there no mistaking it. Yukio's partner stood little ways in front of him, the severed head of another Gorgon laying at her feet. She turned to them, sword in hand. Yukio saw the Gorgon's astonishment, and shot it. It screeched, the snakes on it's head going wild. He had gotten it square in the chest.

When the snakes' hissing died down, Yukio's partner made her way towards him, her black outfit completely clean of blood and sweat.

"Good job. I'll behead it so it doesn't petrify anyone."

* * *

When Yukio got back, he was tired, hungry, and annoyed. Leah, his partner had offered to buy him food on the way back, but he refused politely. Then Shura texted him, asking if he kept any booze in his dorm's kitchen. Apparently, she was so hungover, she had forgotten about the mission altogether.

So, when he came back, he expected a warm dinner at the very least. Instead, he found his older brother in their room, curled up into a ball and breathing heavily. At first, he though he was asleep, but Rin's head snapped to attention as soon as the light from the hallway filled the room. He hastily wiped his eyes.

"Good, you're back." He said, his voice coarse.

"Are you alright?" Yukio asked suspiciously. His brother didn't cry. Only if something horrible happened. Yukio didn't even try to resist the storm of bad case scenarios that went through his brain.

Rin, his throat still sore from puking, explained what had happened earlier that afternoon. The shriek, the woman, the blood... Yukio's anger at Shura subsided, but his exhaustion was too stubborn to leave him. He tried to find the right words to comfort his brother, but the lack of sleep and food was messing up his train of thought. Rin was understanding and, trying to act like the responsible older brother he was supposed to be, went off to make an omelet, while Yukio trudged to the showers.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" The entrance was cold and dark, colder than it was outside. She could hear her mother's reply as she took off her headphones, but her voice was muffled by the walls and the sound of oil being fried. Maira kicked her shoes off and hung her messanger bag next to the other coats. She kept the jacket on.

"Maira?" Her mom was peeking through the kitchen door when Maira walked in the hallway.

"How was your day?" Her mom asked, smiling. Maira always thought her mom was pretty. Sure, she was chubby, and her hair was starting to turn to gray, but she had an air to her that would turn heads whenever she walked into a room. Maira wasn't envious; attention was something she prefered to pay rather than be paid.

"It was fine." She answered vaguely. Her mom smiled knowingly, which only served to annoy her. The woman didn't even know about her..._extracurriculars_, much less about her day.

"I'm going in my room." She announced at trudged off. Her room was spacious, but she had the walls dyed a dark blue and now it seemed smaller. One wall, the one behind her bed's headboard was occupied by pictures. Then, there was her dresser and closet on the wall to the left of the bed, and a tall, wide bookcase on the opposite side of the room. The fourth wall only had a desk with her laptop on it. She took off her jacket and carefully hung it in her closet.

She tried not to glance at the pictures, knowing that it could only be followed by guilt, sadness and terror. She had hung them there so she wouldn't forget, but it was proving to be a bad idea. She finally gave in and looked, only to see herself smiling back. She was eleven there, and surrounded by three of her friends and her two teachers from her cram school. A man and a woman that could have passed as a couple, the woman being tall and lithe with a fair complexion and the man looking like a strongman, with black hair and dark eyes. She smiled ever so slightly, but then that malicious little voice in the back of head reached out.

_"They're dead._" It reminded, and her knees suddenly felt like bags of water. She tried to cover the sobs with hand, but it was no use. Almost everyone from her old cram school had been murdered, and she couldn't help but feel responsible for it. After all, if only she'd stayed with her teacher, they would have had a chance of getting out alive. She succumbed to her depression, and allowed herself to sob loudly. Her mom, after all, was too oblivious to notice anything.


	5. Changeling

**Soooo... I know that chapters 3 and 4 were pretty short, and I'm sorry for that. Actually, I'd meant to upload them on the same day, and I...forgot. Well, this chapter kinda than makes up for it (I hope?). Also, I've been working on this story for a while, meaning I have finished up to chapter 10 (yes, you read right), buuut my creativity is running low, so if there's anything you want to see in this story at _some_ point, feel free to tell me and I'll make it into the eleventh chapter (possible 12th too). **

* * *

Monday had, for better or worse, come too soon. Mephisto had allowed Rin to take the day off, so he could 'deal with his trauma', but throwing up and talking to his brother seemed to have done the trick. Still, he still hadn't studied for the test, and decided to stay home.

Kuro soon became bored of chasing the Coal Tar and left the dorm, leaving Rin completely alone to study. To his astonishment, the lesson actually seemed easy. He could understand and remember the terms for once, and he was happy with himself. This test would be easy.

When the normal classes ended, Rin had just finished cooking and was getting ready to serve lunch. After all, Yukio practically teleported from school back to the dorm for lunch. The obsessed fangirls hadn't given up on him quite yet, so running back to his brother was the only way to keep them at bay.

A screeching noise made him jump, almost dropping down the plate he was holding in the process. He looked around, trying to determine what the noise was when it happened again. He realized that the infernal sound was in fact the dorm's door bell. Then, he heard a muffled voice from outside the building. He peeked out the window to see girl in a black jacket holding a pack of papers. She looked up, and their gazes locked.

"Maira? What are you doing here?" Rin asked surprised.

"I've got your homework for the day." She yelled back and held the pack up. Were they in the same class?

Rin rushed downstairs to open the door, half expecting her to shove the papers into him and run off. Instead, she smiled.

"You don't look very sick." She noted.

"Uh, no I'm, not." He answered. Up close, and smiling, she looked kinda cute. She nodded and handed him the pack.

"By the way, Godaiin said he'll pair up with someone else for the biology project." She said in a tone that suggested she wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. Rin's tail dropped in disappointment. He half froze and so did she. The smile disappeared from her face as she stared at his tail. Then, she cocked her head to the side, still looking at it.

"What the fuck...?" Rin didn't think she's be the type to cuss. She had seemed like the type of girl who was too shy, a little like Shiemi.

"Ahh..." Rin couldn't just tell her that he was the spawn of Satan. And he couldn't shut the door in her face either. He'd still have to go to cram school today, and high school tomorrow.

Luckily for him, Yukio had arrived. He took notice of the situation right away, and placed a hand on Maira's shoulder.

"Maybe you'd like to come inside?" He suggested. Maira was too dumbfounded to argue, and let him usher her inside, and into the dining area. With a silent gesture, Yukio ordered Rin to bring a third plate of food, although Maira didn't seem to be in the mood to eat.

While Rin was stuffing his face, Yukio tried to explain the situation to Maira as calmly as he could.

"You see," he started hesitantly," Rin and I are half-demons. Rin is the only one who inherited our demon father's powers, though, so I look completely human." She eyed Rin, still confused.

"I've met half-demons before." She stated. "They didn't have tails though..." She glanced warily at Rin's tail again.

"Perhaps it's because..." Even Yukio seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Well, our biological father is Satan." He said quickly. Rin almost choked on his food, while Maira's eyes became the size of saucers.

"Okay." She said slowly. "Sons of Satan." She repeated and Yukio nodded. She shook her head.

"Why didn't anyone fill me in on that?" She asked, no one in particular.

"It was meant to be a secret and-" Yukio began but Maira cut him off.

"You know what? It's fine. You don't get to choose when it comes to parents, I guess. Just-just don't burn my jacket, and we're cool." She said, running her fingers through her brown hair.

"You really love that thing, don't you?" Rin pointed out. She looked down at it, and smiled faintly.

"Yeah. It's a memento of my d- my mentor." She said and traced the leather with her fingers lovingly. She looked like she was lost in a memory, but soon snapped out of it.

"I should get going. Wait- I did tell you about Godaiin, right?"

"Yeah. Biology project, got it!" Rin gave a thumps-up, and she waved goodbye at the twins.

"You know, that went pretty smoothly." Yukio noted.

"So? That's what we wanted, right?" Rin reached out for Maira's plate, since she hadn't touched it at all. Yukio shook his head at his brother's gluttony and got up.

"You should get ready for cram school." He reminded gently and took his tray of food into the kitchen. Ukobach would wash it later, so neither brother would need to worry about the dishes.

* * *

Maira stepped into the classroom with her jacket in her hand. It was a cold October night just yesterday, but it was down right hot now, even inside the school. She glanced around to see Kamiki sitting in the front desk, right-most row. Then, there was Takara and Shiemi in the middle row of desks, and finally Suguro and the other two boys in the left row. As soon as she made eye contact with Shima, he practically jumped up and started waving.

Feeling blood rush to her face, she trudged off towards them.

"So, you're sitting with us today?" He asked, as if it'd been her decision.

"Hard not to..." She mumbled and set her book next to Suguro's, since he was sitting alone. He looked at her semi-interested.

"You _did_ study for that test, right?" He asked, propping his face on his palm.

Maira's head dropped onto the desk with such force that Takara almost jumped. She heard Suguro gasp next to her, but didn't lift her head.

"Fuck me." She grumbled to herself, earning a second gasp from Miwa.

"Umm, Maira?"

"I'm an idiot." She continued, ignoring Shima. She felt the air around her flutter, but chose to ignore that too. Finally, Suguro flicked the side of her head.

"Ow..."

"You almost broke the desk in half with your _face_ and that hurt you?" He asked her, disbelieving.

"You've got a little..." Shima said, tapping his forehead. If anything, her forehead was fine. It was her neck that hurt a bit. Before she could respond, a screeching noise almost made her eardrums split. She, along with everyone else but Takara, turned to see Rin standing as if he'd just come skidding to a halt.

"AM I LATE?" He yelled and looked around, lost.

"Teacher's not even here, dude." Suguro said with a bored expression.  
Rin looked around, confirming that Madame Mystère wasn't in the room. Izumo shook her head in disbelief.

Rin blushed and sat down next to Shiemi, who was trying not to giggle.

"So..." Shima started, turning his attention back to Maira. "You didn't study, did you?"

"No..." She mumbled in defeat.

"I even texted you about it!" Suguro said and pointed at her in accusation.

"I know!" Maira replied, still exasperated.

The Kyoto trio decided to leave her alone to stew. The test was in the third period, and Fatal Verses was just the first.

* * *

Second period was P.E, and this time Mr. Tsubaki had taken them to the forest outside the Academy. He had placed ten Henkodun demons- a type of shape-shifters- in it earlier, and the Exwires were supposed to trick them into trapping themselves.

"Man, what does that have to do with P.E?" Rin complained, adjusting the strap of the Kurikara's sheath.

"Well, these demons are quite aggressive, but not very smart. You just have to tick them off until they chase you." Suguro answered. Mr. Tsubaki had already left, presumably watching them from somewhere.

Rin turned to look at the others with a questioning look. "They can 'read' our feelings. If we're thinking of someone we love, for example, they will turn into that person, and act like them. So, I guess we should keep in mind someone who hates us." Maira answered. She was kneeling and squinting at something as she spoke.

"Are there wolves, in this forest?" She finally asked. Konekomaru walked over to her, searching for what she was staring at.

"There aren't supposed to be..." He mumbled, seeing footprints that definitely belonged to a canine. Maira got up, brushing the dirt off her knees.

"So they're adapting." Izumo concluded. Maira pushed her jacket back, revealing a gun strapped to her side.

"Someone who would chase you down." She repeated quietly.

"So, how are we gonna pair up?" Shima asked.

"We're not. There are eight of us and ten of them. If we split up we can catch them with more ease. The remaining two will probably go looking for the others, and then we can just subdue them." Konekomaru said, scratching his chin.

"Besides, they can't change into two people at the same time." Maira added. She took out a compass and turned southwards. "I'll go to the lake." She announced after a while and took off in that direction.

* * *

Rin realised what a bad idea it had been as soon as the Henkodun turned into Amaimon. Somehow, the demon was just as strong and fast as the real Demon King. On the bright side, it was chasing him down.

Rin took a lot of unneeded turns to keep the demon from catching him, but after a while got lost. He ran past the cave in which he found the demon, confirming his fear; he'd been running in circles. Letting out a frustrated cry, he took off in a random direction, hoping the demon hadn't lost interest. Numerous trees and bushes flew past him as he ran, and he glanced behind him to see the fake Amaimon still hot on his heels. Rin tried to go faster, but his foot got tangled in the roots of a nearby tree, and he fell face first into the soil.

"_Got you!_" The demon hissed in triumph, and dove forward.

"Maria's grave!" Another voice shouted, and the demon ran into an invisible barrier, falling backwards with a shocked expression. Rin turned to the source of the voice, and saw Maira crouched on a branch. She held a finger to her lips, then turned away and whispered something to someone. Then, she turned back to Rin and nodded. Rin guessed she was signaling him to get ready to run, and so he did. Meanwhile, the demon had recovered his wits, and was slowly circling Rin. He felt the barrier dissipate, and started running again. Startled, the demon let out an angry cry and followed.

"Over here!" Maira called out, and Rin only barely caught her running past him. He didn't stop, and neither did the demon. She grabbed his by the wrist and dragged him along.

"Where are we going?" Rin managed to ask, dodging a low branch. "To the lake!" Maira answered, without looking at him. When they got there, Rin realised the demon wasn't close to them anymore. He looked back at Maira, who was panting hard.

"What was that?" He asked. Maira glanced at him.

"A demon." She rolled her eyes.

"No, I meant the barrier thing."

"Oh." she stood upright, and pulled her sleeve back, revealing an intricate mark on the inside of her wrist. "That was Sentinel." She said, as if it answered all of Rin's questions. Before he could say anything, the demon broke into the clearing, but instead of Amaimon, it had taken the form of a young blonde woman, the kind that Shiro would drool over. She looked a little familiar to Rin, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"You might wanna hurry mate!" Maira yelled. Rin looked at her as if she was crazy. They were supposed to trap the demon, not challenge it. The blonde leaped forward, her hands reaching for Maira's throat. She didn't move, because she didn't have to. Rin heard a gunshot and the demon fell with a screech. It changed into a small, three-eyed black creature with a yellow horn growing out of it's head.

"Is it dead?" Rin asked, momentarily forgetting about Sentinel.

"No. Suguro just knocked it out." As if on cue, Bon hopped down from a tree, Maira's gun in hand.

"We're gonna have to carry it back now. And, mate? Really?"

"I'm from Britain, ok?"

"Right, right. Let's get back so the lass here doesn't miss tea-time." Bon teased, earning an elbow to the shoulder from Maira. He laughed and handed her gun back.

They walked through the forest in a relaxed pace, as if they were just taking a stroll. Rin was carrying the demon, who was unbelievably heavy for it's size. The sun was beginning to set, and the last few rays of light made Rin a little drowsy. Sure, today had been an otherwise easy going day, but all this running was getting to him. Then, he remembered Maira's talk of Sentinel.

"Who's...Sentinel?" He asked. He had fallen in the back of the group and watched Maira's hair sway back and forth.

"She's an air elemental. She marked me when I was a kid." Maira answered casually.

"Wait." Rin's head perked up. "That's the mark you drew in Magic Seals on Friday, isn't it?" He asked, a little accusingly.

"Yes." Bon didn't pay much attention to them; Rin guessed he already knew.

"How did you two meet up anyways?"

"Are you serious?" Bon asked, a little annoyed.

"You ran past me two times. So did the demon. At some point you knocked Maira down too." He answered, making Rin blush.

"Did I? Sorry..."

"Well, good thing is, we actually missed third period. We're gonna take the test on Thursday." Maira said, and it was obvious she wanted to celebrate.

* * *

**A _little_ less of a filler this time. And now you know why I named this fanfic the way I did. Not that anyone asked, but anyways...**


	6. Bound and Gagged

**Here's a treat for y'all. Because my writer's block was replaced by a mean case of the sneezies, and because I'm sitting at home bored out of my mind. Chapter seven on friday, as usual. Toodles!**

* * *

"Angel." The lean blond woman greeted. The man turned to look at her with an annoyed expression.

"I would say it is good to see you, but I really can't lie." She continued coldly. The Paladin bowed to her sarcastically.

"Always the honest one, milady." He said.

Lewin Light watched the exchange with a semi-amused grin. The woman was clad in a dazzling green dress, and Angel himself was out of his uniform and into an Italian white suit. When the Paladin turned to him, the woman placed her hand on his bicep.

"Lightning, be sure to give me a call if anything happens." He said, but he sounded so strained, he might as well have begged Light to _make_ something happen. Angel really didn't like spending time with Leah Song, it seemed.

Obediently, he nodded and tipped his hat to Leah, who smiled coldly at him. He watched the pair leave the HQ. No doubt Angel was planning on using his Infinity Key to take Leah somewhere lavish. Or just somewhere too loud for a conversation.

After all, Arthur and Leah were the purest case of sibling rivalry.

The exorcist turned away from the siblings and headed for the Grigori's office. During this time, the three Sages were occupied in a heated argument about an incident from two years ago, and weren't going to stop any time soon. Quietly, Lewin slipped into the empty room, and walked to the nearest computer.

The screen lit up, and a single question appeared in green letters:

"_Are you there?_" Lewin smiled to himself and began typing.

"Active."

* * *

"We cannot continue to protect the child. Not with the hell spawn so close to her." Balthasar announced, slamming his fist down. Casper inwardly flinched at the man's outburst.

"And what would have us do? There is a cult out there looking for her. They have already found most others, now there is only this child and Leah Song left." She argued in a considerably calmer voice. Melchior nodded.

"It is true that the branded are scarce, but these two aren't the only ones."

"By protecting her, we are essentially helping Okumura Rin. Mephistophele's wager-"

"That is enough, Balthasar." Melchior cut in. "When Maira Kazume came to us, we were all in favor of sending her to Mephisto. The hellspawn is of no concern in her case. When Song resumes her duties, then we shall see about separating them."

* * *

For March, the weather was incredibly weird. It was downright hot on Monday, but Tuesday was frigid. Snow was falling hard, and there was a thin, traitorous layer of ice _everywhere._ Maira sighed as she stared at snowfall through her bedroom window. She wasn't going to be able to go school, because there were no trains to take her there. On the other hand, she would have to find a way to get to the Cram School later. Unlike the other Exwires, she hadn't been given a key. She already had one, but the Grigori were against her using it. It wasn't exactly hers, anyway.

Maira reached into her pocket and took the key out. It was silver, and bore the symbols on the Order on it. She looked at one of the pictures on her wall. A man with black hair and dark eyes stared back at her, one hand on a monster of motorcycle and the other on a ten year old Maira. The one next to this photo was from when Maira was twelve. The man from before was wearing a pink prom dress and was glaring at a beautiful blond woman, who was too busy laughing to care. That was one weird year indeed.

Maira twirled the key in her hand and then put it back in her pocket. She was getting used to looking at them photographs, but she still felt a pang of pain every time she did. However, it didn't help her sleep at all. As soon as she did, it would all come back to her. A cobblestone path drenched in blood, a pile of burning bodies, and her mentor pushing her out of the way.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Crying wouldn't do her much good, not with her mother and father in the house. Then again, staying wasn't a good idea either. Swapping her leather jacket for a blue coat, she slid the window open and slipped out.

* * *

Rin could remember a time when schools would be closed because of the weather. Unfortunately, True Cross Academy didn't seem to be familiar with term 'snow day'. And to top it off, his algebra teacher had given them a surprise test. Needless to say, Rin was really surprised. He had ten minutes to finish it, and other than his name and the date, he didn't know anything else. He'd be damned if he had to take extra classes on Saturdays again.

By the time his teacher announced that time was up, Rin paper was a big blotch of ink. His teacher gave him the stink eye when he collected the sheet, and Rin could only smile back sheepishly. Then a balled up piece of paper hit him in the back of his head.

He picked up the ball, and then searched for the sender. Shima smirked at him from the other side of the classroom.

"_Too bad Mai's not here._" It said. "_Heard you and Bon got spent some time with her yesterday_."

Rin turned the paper around, and got to writing. "_Yeah, if being chased by a Demon King lookalike and then carrying it all the way back is called 'fun'._" He send the paper back and it landed perfectly on top of Shima's notebook.

"_Well, at least she talked to you. She avoids me like the plague._" Shima complained.

"_It's not her fault if you keep on flirting with everything that moves._"Rin rolled his eyes.

"_Hey! Not _everything, _I've never once flirted with Shiemi!_ " Rin turned to glare at Shima who gave him a sheepish grin.

"_Well, keep it that way._" He warned.

* * *

Maira's head turned so fast she heard her spine creak. Her cheek felt warm, and she reached up to touch the cut. It was bleeding profusely, even though the cut _probably_ wasn't that bad. She reached for her gun without taking her eyes off the source of the cut. Not that she could see it. All she knew was that someone had thrown a thin blade at her from an empty building.

She saw something move behind one of the windows and pointed her gun at it. She stayed like that for what seemed like minutes, but nothing moved. Then, out of nowhere, a sharp wire coiled around her ankle, making her lose balance and fall down. The wire had cut through her jeans and was biting into her ankle.

She tried to stand back up, but whoever was holding the other end of the wire pulled her back. Maira screamed in pain; the wire had cut even deeper.

She saw a pair of boots coming toward her, from opposite of the the source of the wire. She couldn't do anything with her ankles mangled like that. Then something slammed against her skull, driving her face straight into the ground. Everything faded into black.

* * *

_"Again." Logan said patiently. He stood with his arms up in a defensive position. Maira was supposed to punch each arm twice, then attempt a sweeping kick; which was way easier said than done, because Logan was this tall bulk of muscle and Maira barely reached his chin. Logan also happened to be hellbent on teaching her, so the only way to get out of this situation was to either fail at it until he gave up, or pretend to faint._

_She lifted her arms and prepared. One punch, two punches...time for the sweeping kick. Only his left leg moved, but it wasn't enough to make lose his balance. She straightened up, ready to try again. Before she could get into position, Logan swept her feet from below her, sending her back down. She let out of cry of protest as she fell._

_"What did I tell you?" Logan asked, bending down to help her up._

_Maira sighed. "Punch and-"_

_"Not that." Logan cut in._

_"Danger," He said, "Can come at anytime, delivered by anyone."_


	7. This Song Knows What You Did In The Dark

Arthur Auguste Angel was hardly ever phased by anything. Anything related to high ranking demons might send chills down his spine, but he was still considered a very calm and collected man in the face of danger. The phone call he'd just received however, was enough to make him shiver.

According the exorcist on the other end of the line, Maira Kazume had been kidnapped just a few hours ago, and the kidnappers had send a message to Casper.

"_Where am I?_" The girl asked. Her mouth was too far away from the phone, and her voice was barely audible. "_I don't know where I_ am." She concluded, panic creeping into her voice.

Unfortunately, he wasn't alone when he received the message. Leah's skin had paled considerably, and her lower lip was shaking. It reminded him of when they were little, Leah would get nauseous in cars and airplanes. Only this time, Arthur understood the feeling quite well.

* * *

Rin had managed to sneak a tennis ball into the classroom. He was planning on talking the Kyoto trio into playing toss with him during break, but Yukio was taking _forever_ to get to class. So, they just started tossing the ball to one another, waiting for their teacher.

Bon, the current holder of the ball, saw how distracted Rin was by Shiemi- who was running in an attempt to catch the ball- and tossed it at him. The yellow ball hit Rin in the forehead, sending his head back. Izumo, who wasn't participating in the game, giggled quietly.

Before Rin could take his revenge, their young teacher walked in the classroom. Rin shoved the tennis ball into his pocket before his brother could see. Unlike most other times, Yukio didn't set his briefcase down, nor did he complain about the fact that everyone was standing.

"Alright, it looks like you've got a mission." He announced instead. Rin's tail wiggled with excitement.

"Finally! I haven't been on one since that poppy collecting on-"

"Uh, sir?" Bon cut Rin before he could finish. "Maira's not here." _She wasn't here yesterday either_, Rin thought.

Yukio pushed his glasses up. "That's the problem. You see Maira Kazume is one of the few people who have a form of bond with a demon-"

"Branded." Konekomaru said absently.

"Yes. There is a group of people who think that the 'branded' are...well, hell spawn, and they've taken it upon themselves to purge them. The True Cross Order, on the other hand, is trying to protect these people. Maira was taken yesterday, and we have proof that she's not dead yet." Yukio explained, and then turned to Rin. "The woman who died on Saturday was branded."

"But, that woman was dead before I could even get to her..."

"If it's that particular group that's abducted Maira, then perhaps they got sloppy. Either that, or Maira managed to put up a fight. Regardless, the Angelic Legion is handling the search and rescue. You are to go to her house and search her belongings."

"How is that gonna help in finding her?" Izumo asked, her brow furrowed.

"It might tell us where they've taken her." A feminine voice answered. The entire class- with the exception Takara, once again- turned to see a tall, blond woman leaning against the doorway.

"This is Leah Song, Upper-First class exorcist. She was Maira's teacher back in Britain." Rin didn't need to see Bon's expression. This woman had chased them through the forest on Monday- or rather, a demon impersonating her had.

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to get to Maira's house. It had, however, taken almost forever for them to figure out a way to sneak in. Leah explained that Maira's parents weren't exorcists. They didn't know about what their daughter was doing after school, or even about the fight between the demons and the human race. To them, those were just fairy tales.

"So, they've never seen the mark on Maira's wrist?" Bon asked, not entirely sure how someone could be so blind to everything.

"It's inflicted by a demon, so people without the temp-taint can't see it." Leah explained. "Logan- her other teacher- and I had insisted on letting her parents know, but she was..." She run her hand through her golden hair. "She thinks they wouldn't understand."

Once inside, the exwires and the veteran exorcist were taken aback by the amount of photographs Maira had. Leah looked away in what looked like shame.

"Why did she leave Britain if she loved everyone so much...?" Shiemi asked, memorizing all the faces in the pictures.

"She didn't have a choice." Leah answered, pulling out Maira's chair and sitting in it. "Logan and the other exwires...they died two years ago. Maira only barely survived because Logan gave her his key."

"Oh..." Shiemi said, looking down.

"_Two_ years ago?" Shima asked.

"Yeah. She's turning seventeen this year- one year older than you. She spend last year in and out of therapy, but..."

"You were her teacher." Shima pointed out. "Why didn't you-"

"She thinks I died too." Leah answered quickly. "We were together when we got ambushed by water demons. I told her to get the others while I kept them at bay. After she left, they just kept coming. I left, trying to get reinforcements from HQ. When we got back...when we got back, everyone was dead and Maira was gone. We never told her that I survived..."

"How could they all just...die?" Bon asked looking at a photo. Maira must've been thirteen when it was taken. She had her hair in a pony tail, and bangs dyed blue. Next to her, with his arm around her waist, was a boy with black hair and brown eyes. There were about six other kids their age, and two adults. One of them was Leah, and the other one was probably Logan.

"The Demon King of Water was there." Leah said, suddenly angry. "One exorcist and six exwires weren't enough to hold him off, much less kill him. I don't know what he was doing there...he just killed them and left."

"We should search her things..." She said, signaling that the conversation was very much over. Rin found a guitar in the back of Maira's closet. It looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"Maira and some of the others had a little band. She wasn't very good, but she sang so well..." Leah said when she noticed Rin holding the instrument.

"There all a lot of photos of her other teacher." Izumo said, counting the pictures with her finger.

"Because Maira never really got on well with her parents, and because Logan was the one who helped through with the whole branded thing, they were pretty close." Leah explained.

"How old was she? When she was branded?" Rin asked, smiling when he saw a seven year old Maira beaming at him.

"Since birth. Her parents thought that Sentinel was an imaginary friend." It was becoming more and more obvious that Leah didn't want to think, much less talk, about Maira, or Logan.

"You know..." Bon started nervously. He glanced at Rin once before looking Leah straight in the eyes. "On Monday we encountered a shape-shifter that had taken your form. Yo- It was trying to kill Maira." Leah's mouth opened just a fraction. It didn't seem like she had something to say, but even if she did she wouldn't have had the chance to. Shima had slammed loudly one of the drawers closed and turned to look at the others sheepishly. A blush was creeping up on his cheeks.

"Sorry...P-panty drawer..." He scratched the back of his head and walked away from the dresser. Leah's lost expression was gone, and she moved towards the drawer with a cat-like grace.

"Maira used to hide her spare gun here..." She mumbled as she searched through it's contents. Then she froze.

"What is it?" Izumo asked, peeking over the blond woman's shoulder. "Huh, it's not here..." Leah said, her lips forming a pout.

* * *

_"No more dreaming of the dead, as if Death itself was undone*__." Maira sang, combing through her hair with her fingers. Nathan glared at her from his corner._

_"You're gonna get this song stuck in my head." He complained, tossing a nearby pillow at her. Maira dodged it and grinned at him through the mirror._

_"No more calling for a boy, for a body in the garden..." She continued. Nathan let out a defeated sigh and sang along with her, bobbing his head back and forth._

_"No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love!"_

The memory, and the sweetness that came with it, faded away, blending into a whirlwind of sounds and colors. Then another came racing towards her, it's own shapeless colors becoming more and more visible, until Maira could no longer see the chaos of memories.

_Logan tossed her something black. Without needing to think, Maira caught it in the air. Upon recognizing it, she cocked her eyebrow at her mentor._

_"Are you divorcing your jacket, or something?" Logan and his jacket were a package deal. The only time Maira had seen with without it was when the class had gone on holidays in Greece, and had spent their entire time on the beach._

_"If you wear it, you can carry your gun around all the time." Logan answered simply. Maira noticed Logan's own gun, strapped to the side of his torso._

_"I don't need a gun 24/7." She rolled her eyes. "I have a living Bible with me all the time." Logan laughed at the nickname Maira had for Nathan- and it was just one of many._

_"Well, he's not in here now, is he? What if I was a demon?"_

_"I still have Sentinel." Maira pointed out. Logan reached out and ruffled her hair roughly, laughing when she squeaked and tried to get away from him._

_"C'mon kid. Leah's gonna have both our heads if we don't head out now."_

Much like the previous memory, this one dissipated, leaving Maira in the eye of the tornado. She didn't need to see the next one. She didn't want to. It was always like that; dreams that started with sweet memories like those. And then, the blood. The screaming. Nathan's coffin being lowered into the ground. The agony.

And then, she was all alone. All alone, save for the soft humming of wind through her hair, Sentinel's shapeless fingers caressing her tear-stained cheeks. And even that was now gone. The whirlwind had faded into nothing. Sentinel's murmur; gone. As she hugged herself, Maira could hear the crash of waves in the distance. A sound she had loved as a child, now a noise that crept into her head, forcing every single wound open again.

Then nothing.

* * *

*** Blinding by Florence and the Machine.**


	8. Reunited

Leah smiled absently when she found a picture of Mai and Logan in the girl's nightstand. It was the last of the many photos Mai had of Logan, and seeing the gruff, older man smirking made Leah feel nostalgic. She noticed one of the Exwires, Suguro, staring at her, as if he had something to say. She put the picture back on the nightstand and turned to face him.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice coming out harsher than she had meant to.

"Her parents are back..." He jabbed his thump toward the door, which remained shut.

Leah nodded, and clapped her hands loud enough to get everyone's attention. "Time to go." She said simply, and headed for the window. Okumura and Shima shared an uncertain look.

"What about Maira?" Shima asked.

"Nothing else to do here." Leah answered, halfway out the window already. "The Angelic Legion will handle the rest." The pink haired boy frowned.

"But-" He was interrupted by Leah's phone ringing. A wave of hope rushed over her as she answered it. "Yes?"

"Leah." Angel's voice came through. He sounded relieved. "We know where she is."

* * *

Leah was standing outside the building, the Exwires surrounding her. They had insisted they tagged along, and all things considered, it wouldn't do much harm. Angel and his team were going to be late, because of the key's inability to handle large groups of people. So, the Angelic Legion would have to get there one by one.

She studied the building. It was a mere two-stories tall, the old paint peeling off and all it's windows smashed. Leah sighed heavily. This was just too cliché for her taste.

"You brought the_ satanspawn _here?" Leah turned to see her older brother in full Exorcist gear, a gloved hand resting on Caliburn's hilt. "No. He's an optical illusion, here to torment you." She replied sarcastically. If anything lifted her mood, it was seeing his near-perfect, porcelain face break into a scowl.

"It might be too dangerous for kids." Lewin Light commented, walking up behind his partner in crime.

"You brought _him_ here?" Leah asked, the corner of her eye twitching. The Exwires all shared a look of confusion and amusement.

"_Lightning_ is actually useful." Angel answered, pushing a stray strand of golden hair out of his face.

"So's the_ spawn_." Leah deadpanned.

"I'm right here!" Okumura protested.

"Let's just go inside." Lewin said, sounding almost tired. "You two are worse than an elderly couple..." He went ahead, followed by the Exwires and the rest of Angel's team.

"In fact," Angel began once everyone was out of earshot."You shouldn't have come either."

"It's not a secret I want to keep anymore." She answered and turned away.

Inside, the building was cold. The last rays of sunshine weren't doing much to help with the dark interior either, so Lewin passed around flashlights. Both floors, however were empty. There were a few empty beer cans, tossed here and there, but that might as well have been the people behind the endless, distasteful graffiti on the walls.

"We found a door!" Okumura yelled excitedly. Next to him, an exorcist coughed loudly, as sure sign that the boy should shut it.

"Don't be so loud." He chastised.

"Your people seem to be fine with him." Leah told her brother, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. Angel just glared at her, and headed for the door Okumura had found. The whole group gathered around him, peeking over his shoulder as he forced the door open. Behind it was a staircase that went down, into the basement.

As quietly as they could in the dark, the group descended into the ground. In there, the cold was even worst, and too add to it, the place reeked of mildew. The basement itself was as big as the rest of the building, divided into sections by pillars.

And there, in the far end of it, was Maira. She was curled into a ball, shaking. Leah was the first to react, running to her side. She turned her body over, and Maira mumbled something; she was asleep. A rush of relief came over the blond, until Shima pointed a cut on her thigh.

The cut wasn't that bad; nothing a simple bandage wouldn't fix. It was, however, oozing a blue liquid, mixed with blood. It just didn't feel right.

"Mashida, take care of her wounds." Angel ordered the moment he saw the girl. "The rest of you, with me." He strut off to the other side of the basement, although Leah doubted it was because he needed their help with anything. It wasn't a secret that her brother wasn't fond of anything demon related.

Mashida, one of the Doctors of Artur's squad, knelled beside Leah, inspecting the cut on Maira's thigh.

"I'll have to cauterize it. Please check for any other cuts." Mashida said and started searching one of his many pouches for the right instruments. Nodding, Leah felt Maira's back. No cuts there. Even under the insufficient light, Leah was sure there were no other cuts with blue substance oozing out of them. In her arms, Maira stirred.

* * *

The darkness remained, yet it subsided. A scent, so sweet, so familiar. Maira tried to open her eyes, only to be met with blinding light. Still, there was no mistaking it.

"Leah?" She tried to call out but her voice was no more than a croak.

"I'm here Mai." Her voice reached her, accompanied with a buzzing noise that made Maira's ears split with pain.

"Is it time?" She asked. For a moment there was no answer.

"No." Leah answered with finality. More buzzing.

"Mai, I need you to count down from three, 'kay?" Maira couldn't answer. What Leah was doing here was beyond her and her throat was so coarse, the words wouldn't come out. Try as she might, she could only attempt to croak out the numbers, and even in her half-conscious state she knew it was barely audible.

* * *

Leah cradled Maira in her arms like a newborn baby. Shima and Rin were tasked with holding down Maira's legs, while the doctor prepared for the cauterization.

"Three." Leah's voice, mixed with Maira's, echoed through the basement.

"Two." Leah nodded quietly to Mashida.

"One."

Shima was almost blown back when Maira screamed and started thrashing around. Her foot found his chest and knocked him off her. Rin somehow managed to keep her other, injured leg down without breaking it. Leah's cheek had a meek scratch on it, result of keeping her head so close to Maira's. She cradled the screaming girl, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like a lullaby.

The cauterization was done, and the doctor moved gingerly away from Maira. Angel took his place next to Leah and whispered something in her ear. For a moment, Shima was surprised by the resemblance. Both exorcists were tall and thin as paper, with golden hair flowing down their backs. The only difference was that Angel's eyes were icy blue, while Leah's were leafy green. It suited them, he thought. Leah seemed like a much warmer person.

Maira's eyes opened and the looked straight at Leah, almost accusingly.

"Why?" She asked. Leah looked back at her surprised, but thankfully, the teen fainted right after and her furious kicking ceased.

Angel stared at the girl and for a moment, no one said a thing. "We have to take her back for proper healing." He said decisively and rose to his feet. Leah looked up at him, as if she'd forgotten he was there. Shima thought he saw a tear run down her uninjured cheek.

* * *

Maira was happily snoozing in one of the beds in the Japanese Branch's HQ. The infirmary was just as he remembered; cold and sterile. Shima and the others had stayed while the doctors removed the rest of the poison from her body. By the time they were done, two hours had passed, and everyone was exhausted as all hell. One of them had shoved her cellphone into Leah's hands and told her to contact her parents. The people here weren't aware of the situation, Shima realized, or they just didn't care enough.

Absently, he brushed a strand of hair away from her pale face.

"I don't get it." Rin said. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It took _seconds_ for the other woman to die, but Maira lasted_ a day _with the poison inside her."

Leah, who was collapsed in the only comfortable-looking chair in the room, smiled at him tiredly.

"Maira's Sentinel is too strong and committed." She said. Shima studied the way she was sitting. The chair probably wasn't that comfortable, he guessed, but still better than the cold, stiff metal one he was sitting in. If anyone was comfortable, it would be Shiemi. Leah had given her an extra blanket and a pillow, and the blond girl was now curled down on the floor, sleeping.

"Besides, demons don't always mark humans just because they want to play house with them. It's more than usual that they use it to signify their territory. Like gangs using graffiti to mark their turf." She explained. "Maira's just lucky that her demon is one mean, possessive bitch."

"Then how did she get captured in the first place?" Konekomaru asked, eying the mark on Maira's wrist warily.

"Sentinel's a relatively young demon, I guess. Spend more time in Assiah than Gehenna, so her reactions are kinda slow. Compared to other demons of her level anyway."

"You sure know a lot about it." Bon commented.

"Of course I do. I've known them both since Mai was seven. Besides," Leah tugged the collar of her shirt down, revealing what Shima mistook for a tattoo. "I'm branded too."

Leah's mark was far more intricate that Maira's. It looked like glowing cherry blossom, with rays of light surrounding it. What was more, it was drawn on her alabaster skin with golden ink, barely visible under the harsh light of the infirmary. The blossom winked at him as Leah let her fingers slip from her collar.

"Anyways, you guys should go home. There's no telling whether Mephisto will let you sleep in or not." She said, a cool smile on her face.

* * *

**Okay, then! I'm glad to see that the story is moving forward. Although, I guess I'm sorry about the lack of the promised Shima/Maira. It _is_ slightly hinted here, but next chapters will have more of it (still no promises) .**


	9. Awake

It had been two days since Maira had been rescued. The doctors of the Order had insisted they kept her there for a little while longer. Rin also knew that she couldn't walk yet, and her parents were still oblivious to the whole thing.

Still, that was her own business, and right now he had bigger troubles. Like grocery shopping. Rin had forgotten to do that yesterday, and now he couldn't cook anyhting for tomorrow. So he was doing his best to run down the numerous steps of the Academy without falling. Because if he did, he would tumble all the way down, and it was a _long_ way down. He caught sight of Shima's pink hair near the base of the steps and called out his name.

"Hey Okumura." Shima greeted. Beside him were Bon and Koneko, as always. The Kyoto Trio was dressed in normal clothes rather than their school uniforms, and Shima was holding a plastic bag.

"Groceries?" Rin guessed when he saw it. Bon followed his gaze to the bag and shook his head.

"No, we're visitin' Maira." He said. "We called Leah, and she told us to get her a few books to kill time."

"Is Leah...?"

"No. But she didn't say anything about _us _telling Maira. Then again, it'd be best if we didn't mention her at all." Koneko answered Rin, before he could finish his sentence.

"Well, tell her I said hi?" Rin watched his friends go. He wanted to tag along with them, see if Maira was really okay.

Before the cauterization, Maira had asked Leah something. Mashida and Shima hadn't heard anything, because Maira's voice was low. Rin's ears, however, heard her loud and clear.

_"Is it time?"_

Rin had at first wondered what she meant, but the longer he thought about it, the more he didn't want to find out. As far as Maira knew, Leah had died along with everyone else. As such, there was only one thing Maira could've meant. And that wasn't what made Rin uncomfortable. It was the way she'd asked, like she wanted the answer to be yes.

He shook his head and took off towards the store.

* * *

Maira had been moved from the infirmary to a more comfortable room, with four armchairs rather than a bunch of metal chairs. Maira herself was sitting up in her bed, her head tipped back and her eyes closed. Her bright green headphones were resting on top of her brown hair.

She snapped to attention when she heard the click of the door opening, making her headphones fall forward.

"Oh..." She said with a small grimace when she saw Suguro and the others. "Hey guys..." She managed a smile, that probably didn't look as friendly as she had meant, considering her grimace hadn't yet left her face.

"Hey Mai!" Shima marched in and dropped a plastic bag on the bed. Maira considered it suspiciously.

"Wh- How did you-" Maira tried to ask them how the knew she was here. She had woken up just yesterday, in the evening, and no one had told her who was in the rescue party.

"We were there, the other day." Suguro answered as he plopped down in one of the armchairs. Koneko followed him timidly.

"How come?" Maira didn't want to sound so cold, but she couldn't help it.

"Well, we were tasked to go to your house. They thought we might find something there." Shima answered. Instead of taking up one of the armchairs, he had sat on the foot of her bed.

"How are you feeling?" Suguro asked, almost eager to change the subject. Maira didn't mind; she didn't want to talk to them about the photographs either.

"I'm better. The poison made me feel nauseous, but I guess I've been worse." She answered. "What's in the bag anyway?"

"Oh, just some manga." Shima replied casually. "We thought you might get bored in here- can you walk?"

"I don't know. They won't let me get up without crutches." She gestured to the items in question, which were resting against the wall.

"Did they tell when they'll let you go?" Shima pressed on.

"Tomorrow, I think. Sir Pheles thinks it's a good idea for me to stay at the Academy until my leg has healed completely. My parents, uh...they think I'm staying with a friend."

"We guessed." Koneko nodded sympathetically. "You had no photos of them." He explained. Maira looked down at her hands which were folded on her lap.

"I have one. It's of my sister..." She said, a little timid. As far as her family troubles went, her sister was among the touchiest.

"You two don't get along?" Shima guessed, smiling the way her mother did when she thought she knew what's up. Maira tried not to glare at him; he might actually know something for all she knew.

"She wasn't exactly helpful after..." She stopped herself.

"We know about them." Suguro said quietly. Maira unconsciously clenched her hands. "We understand it's not easy, but there's nothing to hide." He continued.

"I'm sorry. I meant to say something about that at some point, but right now..." She looked at her hands again. "It's hard enough to even think about it."

Shima put his own hand over hers. It was a friendly, thoughtful gesture and for a moment, Maira looked up, disappointed to see pink hair instead of black. He didn't bother taking his hand away; it almost felt normal, as if he'd comforted her that way before.

* * *

Angel watched his sister drink tea silently. Leah was barely out of the room when the girl awoke and had, ever since, been in a sour mood. When she was aware of what was going on anyway. Most of the time, she was lost in thought, with a thin line forming between her thin eyebrows.

"Leah." He attempted to catch her attention. Leah didn't respond. For a moment, he was worried she had fainted, but that soon faded away when she took another sip. He decided to leave her to her thoughts. Conversation with her was hard enough when she was in a good mood.

He didn't bother being silent when he exited the room; Leah was hardly aware of anything. He walked, his boots clicking rather loudly on the bleach-white marble. He wandered what Leah saw in that girl, why she was so worried about her. To him, she was nothing more than a witch, a creature that consorted demons with little regard for her own humanity. And to think that the Grigori would allow their pet project to socialize with Satan's spawn; it was ridiculous, as if they wanted the two to team up against the Vatican.

Then again, he thought disdainfully, the Grigori would allow a Demon King to join the Order, even give him the honor of becoming the director of the Japanese Branch. But, Angel has sworn loyalty to them way before he was Paladin and he wasn't going to break that particular vow now, or ever.

* * *

They hadn't stayed with Maira long. There was some sporadic conversation during their visit, but it was mostly Shima's stupid jokes that filled the silence. Most of them were about things that had happened while she was in the hospital, or before she even came to Japan.

Maira, probably because she was trying to be nice, smiled and even laughed at some of them. But she never traded her own stories for Shima's. He didn't really mind. Although Bon was slightly concerned with how friendly he was acting towards her; instead of hitting on her mercilessly, like he had before.

And when they got back, there was Rin's lousy mood to consider. He hadn't been very enthusiastic in those two days which was saying a lot, considering the half-demon's endless supply of energy. Bon was wondering if something had gone wrong during the cauterization, but Shima hadn't noticed anything. Except maybe for Leah's maternal instincts being awakened, but Bon had noticed that in the infirmary too.

And then there was Maira herself. She was still a mystery to him, even though he had learned a lot about her in just one day. Perhaps it was the fact that a demon lingered around her, but Bon wasn't so sure why he felt so unsettled when he was near her. Besides, he had witnessed for himself the control Maira had over her demon; he didn't worry about being attacked.

Bon turned to the side, burying his face into his pillow. Thinking about everything only served to make him even more tired than he already was. Slowly, he let sleep take him over.


	10. A Friendly Chat

**So, yeah. Tuesdays are a thing now. It's still Monday here, but i got bored. So anyway, I've got enough to get us through the month, so twice a week works. I'm also sailing the Ship now.**

* * *

It was Saturday again. Officially a week after the incident at his monastery's graveyard, and four days after Maira had been taken. Rin was still not feeling well, but at least he and his brother had gotten a new house mate.

Yukio had wheeled Maira in earlier; she under strict directions to not walk, so they had her in a wheelchair. The Exwires had worked together to make her room habitable, which had turned out to be a pretty difficult task. Rin had to chase out all the angry Coal Tar with his sword, while Shiemi, Izumo and Noriko were cleaning up. The Kyoto Trio were tasked with finding a comfortable enough mattress and duvet that wasn't covered in a layer of dust in the attic of the dorm.

Thankfully, Rin had managed to prepare dinner as well before Yukio and Maira arrived. And when they did, the Exwires, as well as Noriko and Godaiin, were waiting inside the room.

Maira had smiled, maybe a little embarrassed, when she saw them inside. Noriko and Godaiin had taken the initiative of getting her a get-well present, something the others had overlooked completely.

"Oh wow..." Maira had breathed when she opened it. Godaiin had presented it in a way that suggested everyone had put money for it, which in turn suggested he might ask them for compensation later. The gift itself was a brown leather vest, something gunslingers would wear in Wild West movies. Rin's only guess was that Noriko had picked it out herself, after asking Izumo about Maira's dressing preferences.

Maira still had her jacket on, so she didn't bother trying the vest on. Instead, she thanked everyone and put the box aside, promising to try it on later. Before any awkward silence could settle in, Rin remembered one of the things Leah had told them about Maira.

"Hey you sing, right?" He asked. Maira froze for just a second, then turned to look at him questioningly. "Yeah?"

Maira didn't really need him to continue, instead she just waved her hands in front of her. "I'm _way _out of practice." She said.

* * *

Izumo was the first to leave, practically dragging a still chatting Noriko behind her. Soon enough, the Exwires began to take their leave one by one, until it was Rin, Shima, and of course, Maira left in the room.

"I'll see you out." Rin offered. He was slightly curious as to why Shima had stayed so long after his two inseparable friends had left. Shima shook his head with a smile.

"I think I'll stick around a little longer." He mumbled, glancing at Maira who was toying with her key-chain.

Rin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't so sure about letting Shima, of all people, stay with a person as shy as Maira was. Even their first meeting had been uncomfortable for her, for crying out loud!

However, Shima didn't seem about to change his mind anytime soon. Worst case scenario, he would do something stupid and Maira would have Sentinel attack him. Or shoot him herself.

* * *

Maira was, to say the least, surprised when Shima sat back down in front of her. He acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Soo..." He started, absently touching the leather collar of her over-sized jacket. She had politely refused to take it off since she wheeled in. It was one of the material things Logan had left her.

Despite barely knowing him, Maira noticed it. He was acting like Nathan used to. And just the photographs couldn't have told him how her best friend used to act toward her. At least she didn't think they could. The thought of Nathan stung her, like a demon being drenched in low-concentration holy water.

"What is it?" She was relieved to find that her question hadn't come out as rude as she feared.

"I was wondering..." His hand dropped from her collar to his lap. The absent-minded look was gone, and he was all serious. "I'm guessing none of this is easy for you." Maira barely held back a snort at the remark.

"And maybe you just need someone to talk to?" It was more of a suggestion than a question. Maira was a little surprised. He'd gone from acting like an idiot to seemingly reliable. She could appreciate that, she guessed.

"Just...not now." _Or ever_, she silently added.

"Maybe." He put his hand on her knee, in a way that didn't feel...intrusive. It was like in the hospital, a friendly gesture. "But perhaps over a cup of coffee?" Maira smiled nervously, and a blush crept up to her face.

* * *

Sleep hadn't caught with Rin when Shima finally left. As such, he could hear him whistling happily to himself as he left. Then all fell quiet again. As the world around him began blurring and fading, he remember with a jolt that Maira wouldn't be able to get herself a glass of water. It was, after all, her first night here, and Rin's had certainly been restless.

So, off he trudged to the kitchen. Ukobach was snoring quietly underneath one the counters, so Rin did his best not to wake him. That meant that he had to navigate through the kitchen without turning on the lights or knocking anything down. After numerous almost-disasters, Rin had managed to fill a glass with cold tap water without breaking anything. _Mission success_, he thought triumphantly.

Getting out was far easier, even with a full glass in his hands. He now knew where everything was, and avoided accidents with more ease _and_ grace, might he add. As soon as he was away from the kitchen, it was safe to turn the lights on. When he did, his electric blue eyes were met with a handful of green ones. The Coal Tar that were floating in front of him weren't very happy to see him, considering he had kicked them out of their den that very day. He glared at them and allowed some blue fire to spark on the fingertips of the hand that wasn't holding the water. Afraid, they scurried off to some place safer. Or filthier, since they preferred those places.

Stepping on his toenails, Rin slipped into the dark room. He had opened the door just a fraction, and the way he entered was absolutely ridiculous. He was grateful to see that Maira was, indeed, asleep. He lingered for a moment, staring at her face. She seemed so peaceful in her sleep. When she was awake, it looked like she was straining, with a two subtle lines across her forehead, that only Rin with his enhanced vision could notice. But now her facial muscles were relaxed and Rin could easily see why Shima would want to spent some extra time with her.

Her face was square, with high and toned cheekbones, full lips and almond shaped eyes. Unlike Shiemi and Izumo, Maira packed some more muscle, although the school uniform made her look plump. Not that she wearing the school uniform now. She was in a thin, white tank-top and blue shorts, with the infected thigh wrapped with bandages where the cut was. She made a sound in her sleep, making Rin snap out of his reverie and leave the room.

If she woke up and saw him staring at her, he would probably wind up a dead man. Or he would kill her while defending himself, he honestly didn't know. Either way, Rin wasn't a pervert, and had no intension of letting it seem that way. He went back to his bedroom, where Yukio was sleeping soundly. Rin was sure Kuro was on his bed when he left the first time, but now the Cat Sith was out of sight. Rin figured his familiar was restless, and had gone hunting.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. For as soon as Rin laid down, Kuro yowled from under him, stabbing him in the back with claws. Surprised, Rin yelled and jumped, landing on the floor with a mighty sound. Across the room, Yukio shot up, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun resting on his nightstand.

_Crap._

* * *

_Nathan was, as usual, spread on Maira's bed, basking in the cool breeze that entered through the window. Today was, by London standards, a very hot day, and Maira's room tended to be incredibly cool, regardless of the weather. Which wasn't that great a thing, considering how cold the weather usually was. Nathan's room, on the other hand, was like an oven, so it was no surprise he had come over at eight a.m, and just pushed out of her own bed so he could take over. _

_That was how it always was between them. She said 'yes', he said 'no'. And yet, they had been friends since kindergarten, when Logan thought it'd be a good idea for Maira to get know exorcists. As such, it had been Red and Blue against the world. Maira smiled when she saw him laying there, his eyes closed to block out the rays of sun that fell on his face; he was just to lazy to close the curtains._

_"Can't you just sit in your beanbag?" She asked, pretending to be annoyed. Nathan had, indeed, his own special spot in Maira's bedroom. It was the only red thing in the room. Nathan cracked one eye open and glared at her._

_"No." He deadpanned. Maira had just come out of the shower and her hair was still dripping wet. So, it was incredibly easy to find something to throw at him; the soaked-through towel she was holding. It made a slapping sound as it hit his face and basically threw him off the bed. For two seconds, Nathan didn't make a sound. Then, Maira saw his hand emerge from the other side of the bed, as he tried to sit up._

_"You bitch." He said menacingly. _

_"Bitch with two guns and a crossbow." Maira reminded. "You wouldn't shoot me. You love me." Came Nathan's retort. He rubbed his cheek, where the towel had left a red mark._

_Maira rolled her eyes. "Sure, dude."_

The dream shattered around her. Her hair was no longer wet, and she wasn't in her bedroom. Disoriented, she reached for the gun under her pillow, only to find soft mattress. Panic was soon replaced by realization; she wasn't at home. Slowly, she opened her door just a fraction, to see the lights turned on and a pajama-clad Yukio stomping out of the next room.

"Sen-uh..." She stammered weakly. Calling him teacher right _now_ didn't seem fitting, and just Yukio was too casual. Fortunately, she did catch his attention.

"Did we wake you?" he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Rin had a little accident."

"Is he okay?" Maira asked, opening the door completely.

"He was until he woke me." Yukio growled, suddenly taking on a dark expression. Maira started to think that opening the door was a bad idea, but Yukio's menacing look was gone as fast as it came.

"You should go back to sleep. You have a lot of homework to catch up to." He said.

"Gee, that'll make me go straight back to sleep." Maira said sourly, earning a chuckle from the still frazzled Yukio.


	11. Poppies

"Well, a cup of coffee wouldn't hurt." Maira shrugged from where she sat, her arms folded on the desk and her head resting on top of them. She looked at Izumo the way a curious cat would look at someone who had food in their hands. The purple haired girl groaned inwardly; Maira and Shiemi had been trying to talk her into going out for the past ten minutes, and so far Izumo was unyielding. Then came along Paku and ruined everything.

"It sounds like fun." Her so-called best friend said.

"You should come too Nori!" Shiemi chirped. Then, in perfect coordination, all three of them turned to Izumo.

"Fine." She groaned in defeat and Shiemi and Paku cheered. "But you owe me something." Izumo ignored the other two and pointed her finger at Maira accusingly.

"What are _you _talking about?" Maira asked, her curious stare intesfying.

"Shima." Izumo smirked as she watched Maira go from a curious, smug cat to a cornered mouse within seconds. She flushed and sat up, smoothing her jacket over her school uniform.

"Nothing." She answered meekly. She was avoiding Izumo's gaze.

"You're a horrible liar." Paku deadpanned and Shiemi stifled a giggle and nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Well, this vest is the best thing that's happened to me." Maira pointed out. She was wearing the vest the Exwires had given her over a blue button-up and black jeans. Shortly after getting it- and getting out of the damned wheelchair- Maira had even gotten more appropriate holsters for her revolvers. Now all she needed was a Sheriff's hat to star in a Wild West movie.

Bon, who was walking just a few paces ahead, glanced at her sideways. "And here I thought that being able to walk was good enough." He said jokingly. Next to him Rin, just barely pulled his hand away from a possessed poppy. "Damn things..." He mumbled to himself and then turned to his teammates, "What, you can't shoot a gun in a wheelchair?" He asked.

"No. Trust me, I've tried." She said with a grimace. Behind them, Shima sighed dramatically.

"I don't know if we're lucky for not getting Takara this time, or if the girls are for going to the beach." He wondered.

"Beach or no, they're on a mission." Bon pointed out, slightly annoyed.

"Besides, it's too cold in the coast." Maira added, smiling at the pink-haired teen. The endless field of (possessed) poppies that spread out in front of them wasn't warm either. Not to mention that Rin had developed a severe hatred for the things some time before Maira even came to Japan, and keeping him from drawning his Kurikara was hard.

Their mission was to pacify the plants however they could, and picking them. So obviously, Rin and Maira weren't going to be much help. Shura Kirigakure was sitting inside the van they had driven in, where it was warm. She didn't even bother glancing outside.

When Maira looked back, Bon was already dragging Shima into the field, the angry poppies trying to trip them.

"So, what are _we_ gonna do?" Maira asked as she stepped next to Rin. He scratched his head.

"Dunno. Maybe we can just pluck them out?"

"I don't think that'll work." They glanced at each other and shrugged. There was only one thing they could do, and that was to memorise Bon's sutras. So, they carefully followed after the other two, avoiding the poppies. They seemed to return Rin's resentment, as far as Maira could tell; they almost didn't notice her at all and focused on tripping and biting Rin.

Unfortunately for them, Rin's memorising skills were close to zero, and Maira had trouble reciting the sutra because her Japanese just wasn't that great. Shima offered to help her excercise reciting them, leaving Rin to be yelled at by Bon.

"Those two are spending a lot of time together." Rin noted as he watched Maira and Shima go to the other side of the field. Bon looked up semi-interested.

"Not really."

"Maira doesn't mind him as much as she used to." Rin countered. Bin made a face, that was either a pained grimace or an attempt at concealing a grin.

"He still acts the same though..." Realization dawned on them, and they looked at each other like they had just uncovered the mysteries of the universe. Without needing to speak, they both took off toward Maira and Shima, who weren't visible anymore. The poppies still tried to trip Rin, and one of them succeeded.

When he landed, the strap of his Kurikara was cut, sending the sword flying and landing somewhere to his left. Bon was still running, not noticing Rin's accident. He reached out to get the sword, but one of the poppies snatched it away.

"That's not a toy!" Rin yelled, although he wasn't sure if the demon possessing the flower understood. When he tried to get up, the poppies pulled him back down. He considered calling out for help, but Bon was too far away.

The poppy that had grabbed the sword accidentally unsheathed it. Rin was covered in blue flames, and every poppy that came near him burned to a crisp. The one that was holding the sword, however, managed to keep the blade upwards without harming itself.

Rin was finally able to get up, and could reclaim his sword. The poppy started whipping the thing around, making it impossible to get within five feet of it without get cut.

This was somehow more annoying than the time Amaimon stole the Kurikara.

Bon found Shima and Maira surprisingly not doing anything...indecent. Instead, they were both kneeling around a poppy, and it looked like Maira had just finished chanting. She plucked the flower out and put it in her satchel. Bon noticed immediately what was going on; she was looking at the next poppy and Shima was staring at _her._

Shima looked up, suddenly noticing Bon standing there out of breath. Maira's gaze followed and she got up.

"What's up?" She asked casually. Before Bon could answer, a burst of blue flames came from somewhere behind him. All three of them stared in wonder for a second.

"Is that...Rin?" Maira asked, staring at the blue flames.

"He should _not _be burning those poppies." Bon growled, momentarily thankful for the distraction; he didn't really want to tell them why he was there in the first place.

He took off towards the flames, followed by the other two. When they got there, Rin was whacking the remains of burning poppies with extreme hatred. And he was _hissing_.

Shura was running towards them from the opposite direction. When she saw the three still (somewhat) sane exorcists, she started waving her arms in the air.

"Do something!" She yelled. Bon and Shima glanced at each other; there was nothing they could do without harming Rin. Maira extended her hand, as if to touch him. She held her palm out and her sleeve was pulled back, exposing her Mark. To Bon, it looked like it was glowing.

"Grave of Maria." She said calmly. The Mark glowed even brighter, and then almost burned out. The Kurikara hit the invisible barrier, bounced off and out of Rin's hands. Some of his flames died out his pupils became slightly smaller, a sign that he was focusing on his surroundings.

"Is..._that_...how you're...gonna kill Satan?" Shura asked when she caught up to them, completely out of breath.

With Kurikara safe in it's sheath and the Exwires loaded into the van, all five of them were ready for a warm bath and a cup of cocoa. Rin seemed to have forgotten why he and Bon were running earlier, but Bon kept his suspicions close. He hadn't seen anything fishy, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

They'd just gotten off the car and Rin was stretching his legs while Shura yelled at him from the fifth time. Bon didn't was barely hearing what she was saying, despite the loudness of her voice. Instead, he was focusing on what Shima and Maira were talking about. They were standing just a few paces behind him, and he trying his best not to turn around.

"Tonight at eight?" Shima suggested.

"How about tomorrow? There's still some homework I need to do." Maira answered. Bon couldn't help it; he turned around to see Maira already leaving and messing with her mp3, while Shima was staring at her. He felt a tug in his stomach. Just what the hell were they planning?


	12. Sunday Afternoons

The exwires formed a circle and looked at each other with suspicion.

"Okay." Izumo began. "We have to wear hats and sunglasses, so they don't recognise us." She held out a plastic bag.

"And that'll be enough?" Bon glanced at it's contents with uncertainty.

"If they're on a date, they won't notice anything." Izumo replied, smirking evilly.

"Ah, I want the green one!" Shiemi declared and pulled a green hat out of the bag._ It was ridiculous_, Bon thought. There was no way in Hell Shima and Maira wouldn't notice five people dressed like that.

"We just have to make sure to keep our distance, right?" Konekomaru pulled a red hat out of the bad and put it on.

* * *

To Bon's great relief, Maira and Shima didn't sit in a coffee shop for their date. That would have made 'keeping their distance' really hard. Instead, the two walked and talked like everything was normal.

Meanwhile, Bon, Izumo, Rin, Koneko and Shiemi were huddled together, trying not to fall down and cause a commotion. Some old ladies passed them by and whispered amongst themselves and Bon was _sure_ it was among the lines of 'Look at these idiots' or 'Are they gonna rob a bank?'

Shima and Maira had slowed down and Bon was, for a second, worried they had noticed their friends tailing them. That was not case, it seemed. Shima completely stopped walking and grabbed Maira's hand, forcing her to turn around. In complete unison, Bon and the others jumped behind a dumpster bin. Bon poked his head and squinted at the two.

The sun was beggining to set, washing them both in red and orange light. Shima said something to Maira that he couldn't hear, but he could see her expression clearly. She blushed furiously and looked at her feet. Then Shima leaned in and kissed her.

Bon felt a pang in his chest and suddenly realised he was hoping for Maira to pull away. She didn't. Rin poked him impatiently. "What's going on?"

"T-they kissed." The exwires let out a collective gasp at his response. Izumo basically tackled Bon in her attempt to look.

* * *

Maira found it a lot harder than she thought; Renzo had a way of making nervous enough to shake when they were alone. And yet, she couldn't stay away from him. Talking a walk certainly helped mask her shaking hands, and Renzo was too absorbed in his tale to notice.

"-and that's why Kin-nii dyes his hair blond." He finished, and turned to her with a grin. So far, all their dates had been like that; a story for a story. Unfortunately, Maira was running out of interesting stories.

"Your turn." Renzo said. Maira was trying hard to remember something. Something he would actually be interested in, rather than a boring monologue about how she came to hate fish. She focused on the world around her, searching for something familiar. The sun was descending, bathing everything in a golden and red glow.

"I met Leah when I was seven. She was seventeen and had just started training to be an Exorcist. Logan had her turn up at my doorstep claiming to be a babysitter, and my parents hired her on the spot. Whenever they went out, Logan would drop by, and they'd show me hand-to-hand combat. I remember asking for throwing knives on my ninth birthday because I'd seen them practice it once. My parents got me a dart board instead." She recounted her tale. This might have been the first time she mentioned Logan like...like nothing was wrong. And to be truthful, she felt like everything was okay. She even tried, for a moment, to remember all the horrible things that had happened, but she couldn't conjure up the images.

Maira glanced at Shima, trying to determine if he felt as happy as she did. But to her, he seemed troubled. Maira found herself wondering if her story was actually boring. He stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Maira, making her stop as abruptly as he had. She turned to ask him what was wrong, but he didn't let her.

"You're so beautiful..." He mumbled. Maira felt all the blood leave her and rush to her face. She couldn't even feel Sentinel's presence anymore, or anyone else's. Renzo leaned in slowly and brushed his lips against hers. Maira felt like someone turned off the lights inside her head, and her shaking started up again. For a moment, she worried about head butting him, but he perceived the motion differently. His pressed his lips against hers, the sensation strangely soft and foreign to her. Her shaking ceased completely when he wrapped his arms around her. She realized the blackout in her head was in fact her closed eyes.

Avoiding bumping noses as much as she could, she kissed back.

* * *

Leah felt her lungs burn. It had been a while since she was in a fight this hardcore, and her equipment wasn't helping. Angel and Lightning were still fighting the hordes of demons with ease and Leah was not in the habit of letting Lewin mock her abilities and she wasn't about to start, either.

She gripped her shield tighter and willed her demon to take the form of a sword. She heard Angel yell something out and jumped back into the fray. The demons they were facing were small fry, but it was their sheer numbers that gave them the upper hand. And they were water spirits. Leah gritted her teeth and charged, trying to get to her brother.

The demons came at her and she started cutting them down. Her 'sword' glowed like a mirror reflecting sunlight and everytime a demon was unfortunate enough to meet the blade, it would burst into light. The other demons that managed to miss the slashes were knocked back with Leah's shield; a large metal plate enchanted to freeze her opponents.

And being water demons, their fickle bodies froze whole and shattered into a million pieces when they landed. She finally caught sight of Arthur, or rather, one of his cloth wings, jumping this way and that. Leah was fast, but no one could beat Arthur in that department; the man disappeared and reappeared in flashes of white and Leah could barely keep track of his position.

Knowing there was no way to get to him, what with him flashing all over the place and the pissed off demons trying to get him, Leah focused on taking down as many spirits as she could. Lewin was nowhere to be found but then again, that sleazy bastard was better off doing his own thing. Demons shattered around her, never being able to even touch her. But she was slowly getting tired. At some point, when exhaustion was just around the corner, a demon pounced on her sword arm, causing her to drop the blade. It evaporated into thin air, but it wasn't really gone. Using her shield to repell incoming attacks, she held out her now empty hand.

"_Break the dawn!_" The Mark above her chest burned in a way Leah could only describe as invigorating. She knew that the lines that framed the centerpiece of her Mark were snaking away from it and heading towards her hands, legs and head. Soon enough, her skin was striped with gold. When all the lines in her palm connected, a ray of light burst through, reducing the demons in front of her into dust. The rush of energy faded almost immediately, but at least most of the demons were gone. She lost her balance and fell to her knees, panting hard.

"That seems to have done it." Lewin said, suddenly appearing next to her. His hands were shoved in his pockets and he looked like they were going to the beach after this fight; just like he always did, come to think of it. She glared up at him, but he was staring at the piles of dust that used to be the demons.

"Angel's got the rest of them, no need to sweat it." Lewin continued.

"Not like you did anything..." Leah said, scowling at him. He turned to look at her with his lazy, and somehow manic, grin and tipped his hat.

"Didn't have to."

* * *

Leah absolutely hated Angel's quarters in the Vatican. Everything, from the floors to the dinning table, was white. And it was maddening. Unfortunately, she had stopped taking exorcism jobs after the incident in London and it was affecting her budget. So now, Leah Song, sister of the Paladin Arthur Auguste Angel, was evicted from her apartment and living with her older brother. It did, however, come with some benefits. Like not having to pay for anything. And training was easier, because she had a fully equiped gym and training partners at her disposal. However, that did _not_ console her. Not with her brother nagging her about her deadbeat-ness and the casual visits from Lewin every single fucking day. Needless to say, Leah wasn't a fan of the man.

But that didn't seem to matter to anyone, as she was now stuck between him and her brother, drinking tea with the rest of the Angelic Legion, who were acting like defeating hordes upon hordes of demons was a normal Tuesday night thing.

* * *

Maira fell back on her bed, breathless. Her lips still burned and her cheeks were still flushed, even though her date with Shima ended half an hour ago. She cast her eyes skyward and noticed the photographs. For the first time in a long while, she wasn't depressed about them. Hell, even her parents' nagging hadn't seemed that annoying. She turned to her side and switched the light off, letting the moonlight wash everything in the room in silvers.

Sleep, something that had been hard to come by lately and filled with nightmares when it did, came to her instantly. And this time, it was free of the memories and the agonizing pain of helplessly watching them. She hadn't felt like that in ages, it seemed; happy.

* * *

**Well, that was awkward for me. And I had to squeeze some Bon in there, too. And then there's Leah because I needed a break from the date thing.**


	13. Broken Dollhouse

**So...it's like, 1.10 in the morning here...so here ya go!**

* * *

As it turned out, spying on Shima and Maira was unnecessary. Shima told them _all_ about it afterwards anyways.

He walked into Bon and Koneko's room with a dreamy look on his face. Bon still felt slightly disturbed, although the fact that his pink haired friend was making the same face he did when he found a good porn mag was to blame now. Worse still, Shima didn't spare them the details of his date. Every now and then, Koneko would glance at Bon, as if asking if it would be okay to tell Shima how _they _had spent the afternoon.

"Her skin is so soft!" Shima continued, oblivious to his friends' distress. Bon swore that if Shima didn't stop with his descriptions, he would bang his head against the wall. Not that Shima would notice; he was way over his head about the girl.

"Wait, hold up!" Koneko suddenly exclaimed. Shima stopped his description and turned to his friend with a questioning look.

"You kissed her." Koneko stated. "On the first date?"

"Um...No...?" Shima rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "We've been going out since...since she got out the wheelchair, I guess."

Bon couldn't help but whistle. "That's about a month now." And they hadn't noticed anything. None of the glances, the 'accidental' hand brushing. Bon cringed.

"Has she...has she said anything about Leah?" Koneko asked timidly, as if the question upset Shima somehow.

"She mentions her, from time to time. She doesn't really talk about it much..." Shima answered somberly.

"So, when's the next date?"

* * *

Maira had decided that she could never get used to this. Holding hands, that is. Either she'd need to pick up something right after locking fingers, or the hem of her jacket got in the way. And then, there was the fact that it just felt _ridiculous_, for lack of a better word. Shima, on the other hand, didn't mind one bit. In fact, he had taken to holding her hand whenever he was close enough to do so. And with their sitting arrangements, that was almost always.

Maira shifted uncomfortably in her seat when she noticed Shiemi staring at them. The blond girl had a funny expression, like she was happy and at the same time, uncomfortable. Maira tried not to stare back and shake it off, but between the looks everyone had been giving them lately and Shima's obliviousness to it, Maira was pretty much on the brink. Wielding a gun and exorcising demons didn't do much to chase away the shyness, it seemed.

Shima noticed her fidgeting; it was hard not to, what with her hand in his. "Something wrong?" Maira meant to have a talk with him about the whole shy thing but she always forgot about petty things like that when she was with him.

"It's nothing. Just nervous." She smiled at him reassuringly. If he wasn't convinced, he didn't show it. Still on edge, Maira looked around the classroom desperately trying to find something to distract her. Shima was talking to Bon and Koneko, who were sitting in the desk in front of them.

Yukio was taking his sweet time getting to class. Maybe one of the fangirls had managed to catch up to him. Maybe they were flirting. Maira suddenly realized why Shiemi was making that face, and it did nothing to help her relax.

After five more minutes of looking around, Yukio finally entered the classroom. Even though he was late for class, he was moving really slow. He set his briefcase on podium and turned to look at his class.

"Looks like you guys are full of luck lately." He commented as he pushed his glasses up his nose bridge. Rin perked up.

"Is it a mission?" He exclaimed then immediately grimaced. "It's not poppies again, is it?"

"I don't think they'll let you near the things ever again." Maira said before she could stop herself. Yukio ignored both her and his brother. Instead, he smirked at them like a villain about to take his revenge. Maira did _not_ like this. At all.

* * *

Regardless of how creepy it was, Maira could help but gaze in awe. In front of her was a mansion of four floors that had been abandoned for years. There were weeds growing everywhere, a poison ivy scaling on of the stone walls. The style of the mansion was western though, which was pretty curious. All the floors had tall windows, of which only the frames remained; the first floor had been set on fire when it was abandoned, and blackened shards of glass still littered the ground below the windows.

The mission itself was kinda familiar; find out if it was haunted. Maira had done a similar mission back in Britain, although they already knew what type of demon it was and had taken care of it within the day. Now, they were expected to stay the night. _In_ the mansion.

Shima had basically dragged her along; she hadn't noticed him take her hand. Inside, the first floor looked even worse than outside. The furniture, that must've been elegant and heavy once, was no more than half burnt piles of wood. The tapestry in the living room was burned almost completely and the parts that weren't, were peeling off, revealing rotting wood beneath them.

"We'll check the other floors later; your 'rooms' are on the second floor." Shura said, already heading up the stairs. Maira followed her, stopping shortly to touch the banister. The whole mansion had a Victorian England kind of feel to it, Mai realized. The second floor was considerably better. The fire hadn't gotten that far, so the only thing the Exwires had to worry about was how much the wooden floor would hold and the demon that may or may not be haunting the place. The rooms they would be staying at actually used to be bedrooms; one for the boys and one for the girls. Each room had a queen sized bed in it, a huge and heavy wardrobe and a vanity table- all of which reminded of Victorian England architecture.

"Okay, just put your sleeping bags down and I can be on my way." Shura clapped her hands together.

"Wait- you're leaving?" Rin asked with huge eyes. Everyone else frowned with uncertainty.

"You guys have to learn to fend for yourselves." Shura explained.

"And putting us in a haunted mansion in the middle of nowhere is a good idea?" Maira deadpanned. Shura just shrugged.

"You'll be fine."

* * *

It was pretty late when they arrived and Shura had insisted that they check all floors before nightfall. Of course, it wasn't like they'd find the demon taking a snooze on the beds, but it was better for them to get acquainted with the place. The third floor consisted of a study, a kid's room and a nursery. In the briefing, Yukio had mentioned very little about the original owners, but it was clear they'd left in a hurry. The bed in the kid's room was the only one in the entire house to still have the mattress and the sheets intact; whoever's room it used to be hadn't made their bed before they left. There were a few toys strewn about, indicating that it was a boy that stayed here. Maira was, for a second, inclined to put the toys back in the wooden box but when she came near, she saw that the box was rotten; the lid would come off if she moved it.

What really creeped her out though was the nursery. There was a crib in the middle of the room, with it's see through-ish curtains drawn. There was even a whole shelf full of dollies; although the time and the rain that had seeping through the walls made them look like tiny stuffed zombies. Izumo, albeit reluctantly, pulled the curtains aside. She let out a small scream and jumped back. Maira, already on high alert, yelled too, although she had no idea what had scared Izumo.

Shima run in the room so fast, Maira swore he had teleported. Izumo took a careful peak inside the crib again and sighed heavily.

"It was just a doll." She said, not bothering to hide her relief. Maira, followed by the other Exwires that had rushed inside the room, looked inside. Indeed, there was a porcelain doll carefully laid on the small mattress. She golden hair that reached her shoulders and big blue eyes, just like a little girl would. She even had the size of a child.

The Kyoto trio had already checked the study, but Maira was curious. For better or worse, the room was barren save for an large desk and rows upon rows of empty shelves on the walls. Then it hit her; if a family with two kids didn't even have time to at least make the beds, how could they have possibly carried an entire library with them? Unfortunately, Shura had already left and reception here was limited, so all the Exwires could do wonder.

The fourth floor was decisively less creepy. It had been used as storing space, with paintings and furniture spilling out the door-less rooms and filling up the corridors. It was already dark out and their flashlights didn't provide nearly enough light for them to navigate through the old furniture, so they went back to the second floor. Maira noticed a hatch in the wall.

"It's one of those...what d'ya call 'em...food elevators?" Bon tried to explain when he saw her staring at it. Maira nodded, seeing a thick, stretched cord in the far back of the hatch. They hadn't really checked the kitchen when they arrived, so she could know that the house had one of these. Then again, the kitchen probably wasn't much better than the living room, so it wouldn't be worth checking.

* * *

When they finally went to sleep, everything was eerily quiet. Shiemi had moved her sleeping bag so close to Maira's, the brunette could feel her breath on her neck. Izumo was fast asleep, her barely illuminated form rising and falling with each breath. Maira, however, couldn't even bring herself to blink. Surely, she wouldn't feel any less vigilant if Shura was still here, but at least the beating of heart would slow down a bit. She turned to face Shiemi, hoping that the girl was sleeping yet. She was met her the blond's serene face, but that wasn't what drew her attention. The moonlight that entered the room was minimal, but Maira was sure that there was someone standing in the doorway. All her instincts told her to stay down and stay quiet, but she didn't know it the silhouette could tell that her eyes were wide open. Carefully, she poked Shiemi. The silhouette saw the movement and took off running. Maira was sure she wasn't seeing things; she heard the person's feet against the floor.

Officially scared out of her mind, Maira sat up and shook Shiemi awake. Behind her, Izumo turned on her flashlight.

"What are you doing?" She asked groggily.

"Get the boys. Someone's here." Maira said in a shaky voice.

"It couldn't have been one of us." Bon said, repeating what Maira had just told them. He was leaning against the vanity table.

"No. They ran away towards the opposite direction." Maira said. Shima pulled her closer to him in an attempt to comfort her.

"Besides...I think they were kinda short." Maira shook her head. "I'm not sure. I don't remember."

"Bad news, you guys." Rin said as he walked into the room. Behind him was Takara, who somehow looked awake for once, and Izumo.

"What did you find?" Koneko asked.

"We only checked the second floor." Rin scratched the back of his head. "The doll in the baby's room is gone."


	14. A fair warning

**MOAR WORDS!**

* * *

The left half of Shima's body was pinned down by Maira; after seeing the doll in the doorway, the Exwires had decided to spend the night together. As such, Maira had placed her sleeping bag right next to his, and was now halfway through sleeping _on _him. If it wasn't for the numbness of his left arm, Shima wouldn't have minded the proximity. Then there was also the fact that he never slept well, and there was no TV here to distract him.

Slowly, he tried to pry the girl off him without waking her. Rin was still awake, he noticed; he was sitting cross-legged in front of the door, with his hand gripping the Kurikara. He was staring into the hallway, despite not being able to see anything. At least, Shima couldn't see anything. Rin's vision was better, being a demon and all that. Maira grumbled something in her sleep and turned away. Shima's arm was sore.

"I don't think the doll's gonna come back if you sit there all night." He whispered to Rin. The half-demon didn't look at him, but his ear perked up.

"That's the point." He whispered back.

* * *

Maira was kicking a pebble around, waiting for Yukio to pick up. Dawn had arrived less than thirty minutes ago, but it was no secret that the younger Okumura had a habit of getting up early. Besides, Maira really needed to ask him about the house. A possessed doll, as creepy as it was, didn't pose much of a threat. Which only made Maira more suspicious.

"Hello?" Yukio's voice came through. Maira proceeded to explain about the house and the doll and the odd absence of books from the study, only to be cut off by him.

"The family wasn't reported to have left." He said. "There was a fire, but they never turned up, alive or dead."

Maira cast her eyes skywards, to the roof of the building. "So, what are the possibilities?"

"Countless. You'd better check every inch of the house, make sure there are no hidden entrances. If you can't find any, I'm guessing it's a powerfull demon you're dealing with."

"And, once again, I wonder; who's idea was it to drop kids in a haunted mansion?" Maira said irritably. Yukio sighed lightheartedly.

"I wouldn't worry about them too much. You, however, have the Grigori looming over head."

"You mean breathing down my neck." He chuckled at that.

"Shura will come over to pick you up tonight. Best you hurry with the demon-hunting."

The Exwires had split into two teams of four, in order to cover more ground. Shiemi, Maira, Takara and Shima had been tasked with searching the fourth floor, while the rest were in the ground floor, moving piles of ruined furniture.

At first sight, the fourth floor still looked liken an ordinary storage space, with old couches and chairs covered by white sheets. It took a while to push them out of the way, seeing as none of them were particularly strong and Takara was just standing off to the side, waiting. Maira had considered trading him for Rin, but that bargain would never be acceptable; give them dead weight for a superhuman.

"Y'know- you could-help-at least." She said in between grunts. She and the other two were trying to push a heavy oak table out of the way and into a wall. Takara just stared at her blankly; at least, she thought he was staring. He might as well have been sleep walking. Shiemi, who had used her back to push, slipped and landed on her butt unceremoniously.

"I think that's enough." Said Shima, looking at Shiemi quizzically. Indeed, there was just enough space to egt to the other side of the corridor, albeit they had to go one by one. The rooms in that floor were large, and their door frames were wide enough for a car to go through. At first, Maira thought they used to be ballrooms, but those would've been in the ground floor rather than up here. She spotted a hatch in one of the walls; probably the lift she had discovered the night before.

This particular room only had paintings propped against it's walls, so wandering in was easy. Shima uncovered one of them, lifting a heavy cloud of dust. Maira and Shiemi peered over his shoulder. It was a family portrait. The couple weren't Japanese, which wpuld explain the architecture. No, they were fair with light brown hair. The woman held a baby in her arms; it had a handful of blond tufts on it's head. Next to them, a boy no older than six was beaming at the painter.

"Guess that's them." Maira said, rolling on the balls of her feet. Shima nodded, his expression unreadable.

"This baby looks like the doll..." Shiemi noted. She flinched when the others- even Takara- turned to her wide-eyed. That made sense. If the family were in fact demons, they were certain to have a hiding place here. And if the child was still here, the other three wouldn't be far behind.

Before she could confirm that her companions had reached the same conclusion, a creaking noise reached Maira's ears. Slowly, they turned expecting a demon ready to jump them. But there was nothing. Shima gulped and pointed at the hatch in the wall. He headed for it carefully, while Maira took our her gun and aimed. He opened the hatch and, in direct sunlight, the cord was visibly straining after yeard of unuse. Then the tray entered her sight.

With a gasp, Shima jumped away from the hatch, while Shiemi screamed and turned away. Maira's finger went numb over the trigger. On the tray was a single warning; a human skull. It wasn't bloody, white and new. Instead, it was cracked and blackened, as if it'd been in the earth years beforehand. A small, frantic part of Maira was, in a way, relieved that that wasn't one of her friends.

They were all staring in horror and completely unable to move. Takara's puppet-free hand was clutching on Maira's sleeve. She heard the others run upstairs, as well as a lot of shouting. Rin burst into the room sword in hand to see all his friends frozen in their places.

"What happened?" Bon asked, second to enter the room. Their eyes followed Shima's gaze to the tray. Rin lowered his sword and glanced at Bon quizically. The other boy returned the look as he walked calmly to Maira. He pushed her hands down, forcing her to lower her gun. Somehow, they managed to lead everyone downstairs, and into the kitchen. Izumo and Konekomaru, being the slowest of their squad, had been left behind.

"They're not _in_ the house." Bon explained as soon as everyone had calmed down.

"Rin slipped and hit his head on that wall with the elevator thing." He continued and pointed at a sizable hole in the wall. For a moment, Maira wondered how much his skull could take to be able to knock half a wall down with any injury. Indeed, in the back of the hole, she could make out the treacherous cord clearly.

"But we couldn't find anything else; we were in the living room when Shiemi screamed." Konekomaru added, pushing his glasses on his nose.

"How far does it go?" Maira asked. The horror from earlier had been replaced by a surge of vigilance and alertness. She could feel Sentinel shifting around her, as battle ready as she was.

"Pretty far. I almost fell in." Rin said. He was sitting on top of the counter, which somehow had been left standing. Maira pursed her lip and walked toward the hole. She extended her arm and her fingers brushed against the cord.

"What are you doing?" Shima asked, trying to peek over her shoulder.

"Going down." She answered. She swung her legs in and gripped the cord with both hands.

"Heyheyheyhey!" Bon practically lunged at her, trying to pry her out.

"LET GO!"

"NO!" He'd managed to wrapped his arms around her torso and was doing a good job of pulling her out when something in the living room fell. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the doorway.

Maira climbed out of the hole and headed for the other room without taking out her gun. The only furniture in the living room still in one piece, a cabinet for the china, had been reduced to rubble, revealing an empty door frame behind it. Maira, be it jumpiness or lack of sleep, thought something moved behind it.

"Search." Maira commanded. Sentinel's presence left her as the spirit wandered into the secret room.

"This is one hell of a day." Rin murmured as he wandered into the room, dusting off his pants.

"Think we should check it out?"

"Sentinel's on it. if she finds something, we'll go in." Maira replied and crossed her arms. The rest of the Exwires followed, staring at the dark room restlessly. Bon cleared his throat.

"Sentinel's gone for a long time." He said, glancing at Maira sideways. The girl cast her eyes skyward and pursed her lips. "There are stairs just beyond this room. Sentinel says the go down for a while, then it's a large system of caves; she's not done yet." She said.

"Says?" Konekomaru raised his eyebrows. Maira tapped the side of her head. "It goes both ways."

"Underground caves?" Shima interrupted. "Why would they need that?"

"There's a village on the other side of the hill. They probably used the caves to get there." Bon explained, shoving his hands in his pockets. Sentinel's presence returned, making Maira's hair sway a bit, like a breeze was flowing through them.

"Let's go." She was the first one to step in, both her revolvers out and ready to fire.

* * *

Leah leaned over Lightning's shoulder, trying to see the screen of his laptop. Unlike her older brother, she knew more about computers, although Lewin exceeded them both with his immense knowledge and innumerable gadgets.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. "What's it say?"

"Peace, Leah." Lewin replied in his usual, carefree tone. "The readings have gone up slightly, nothing new here. There's been an increase in demonic activity here for two years."

"Yet we don't know where they're coming from." Angel said, losing his patience. "Two years! That's preposterous!"

"There he goes again..." Leah said and Lewin sighed in exasperation.

"Well, we _do_ know that the first year was basically a warning." She said, attempting to pacify the man before he stomped off in a storm of righteous fury. "So, maybe Susanoo is planning something." She continued skeptically.

"Maybe he never left." Lewin said darkly. As much as Leah despised the man, sometimes he had a point.

"Where would he find a vessel though? After the..._incident_, we sealed the place off. It was already abandoned anyway."

"You know, abandoned villages from the 1800s are never really abandoned. The homeless and the blood thirsty cultists tend to flock there-"

"We searched the place _before_ and _after_ the fact. No dirty blankets, no sacrificial altars. You watch too many movies." Leah insisted, glaring down at the man.

"Stop arguing!" Angel broke in. "Leah, don't you have something else to take care off? In Japan?" He asked pointedly. Leah was baffled; he actually remembered.

"Yeah, well, I was thinking of helping out here first." She said, suddenly too anxious to even look at her brother. He smirked triumphantly to himself.

"No need. Lightning is all I'm going to need. Now, off with you; I don't want you distracting him." He waved his hand dismissively, and Leah remembered why their parents had kicked him out in the first place. Well, the fact that they didn't believe in demons was the deciding factor, but Arthur hadn't really helped his case with his attitude.

Leah was barely six when they kicked him out; he was sixteen. When she asked her mother why her brother had stopped coming home, she'd get a number of excuses, many of which implied he was a drug addict. And yet, despite having to grow up without him, he was the first person she thought of when she was imprinted. He took her in- he was already a high-paying exorcist- and taught her the basics. Then, he introduced her to Logan and his daughter, and that was it. And now here she was, ten years later, with the title of Chancellor, running from a seventeen year old girl, who may or may not kill her should she find out the truth.

So no, Leah wasn't excited about her trip to Japan.

* * *

**Well, I guessed I haven't given Leah enough attention. Which means I haven't given her full background yet. Anyways, I'm going a bit stray from the original series/manga, and I'm giving Angel a background that is definitely different to what Kazue Kato has in store. Aand he is about 36 here, while Shura and Leah are both 26.**

**Also, Leah calls the Demon King of Water Susanoo because the demon she's been marked by is from Japanese mythology. Therefore, it would make sense that she also calls him by his Japanese name (everyone else will refer to him as Egyn)**


	15. Chrysalis

Just as Sentinel had predicted, there were stairs, carved from stone, that lead further down, into the earth. Maira was leading them down, followed closely by a K'rik wielding Shima. The granite steps were wet and slippery and the walls around them too smooth for someone to grab on to, should they slip. The Exwires did their best to descend carefully in the dimness.

"How far do they go?" Asked Rin. He sounded impatient, restless even.

"Not much longer. Twenty steps, more or less." Maira answered, after waiting for Sentinel's calculation. Both her revolvers were in her hands, which made Shima go stiff all over every time she lost her footing.

The bottom of the stairs was shrouded in darkness, even with seven flashlights turned on. The corridor that spread out in front of them seemed narrow and treacherous.

"Think one of us should have stayed upstairs?" Bon asked no one in particular. "It could be a trap."

"I can send Sentinel to keep an eye out." Maira suggested, ready to order the spirit. Bon shook his head and turned to Takara, who was standing at the back of the group without a flashlight. "Mind going upstairs?" Maira noticed the hard line of Bon's mouth as he spoke, evidence that he wasn't fond of the blond boy. He just had no tolerance towards the indecisive and undetermined.

His question was rewarded with a blank look. Takara almost looked relieved when he turned and left, his sock-puppet spewing profanities at Bon for his 'rudeness'. Rin scratched his head and grinned. "At least he's out of the way."

The passage continued for some time, but there was no sign of demons. The seven remaining Exwires had been walking for a good ten minutes before they reached a fork.

"Okay..." Maira said. "Split up?"

"Unevenly?" Koneko's eyebrows went up.

_Chrysalis_.

Maira felt a shift in the air around her and saw a ripple form next to her. She turned only when she heard the collective gasp of her classmates. Sentinel stood in her spectral form next to her, eyes that lacked irises focused on her. She looked the same as the last time Maira had conjured her; clad in a green and black dress with her black hair flowing down in waves. In her hand she held a lantern that gave off a green light, somehow far stronger than the artificial light of the Exwires' flashlights combined. The spirit didn't smile, or frown. Her expression was blank, but that didn't mean Maira couldn't interpret her moods. Sentinel was...excited, to say the least. Something about whacking things with a lantern seemed to make her happy.

"There. The girls and I can go left, you guys'll go right." Maira said, feeling triumphant at seeing them dumbfounded. Shima reached out and touched her arm carefully, as if worried he'd break her.

"Are you sure? I can come with you." Maira took his hand in hers and squeezed. "We'll be fine."

* * *

Leah sighed as she entered the headquarters of the Japanese Branch. She didn't even know what to say to the kid. _Hey Mai, remember me? I didn't die last year!_

Damn her pompous brother and his precise memory. On her trip from the abandoned village to Japan, Leah had tried her best to picture her reunion with Maira. Unfortunately, they all ended with her getting shot in the face. Not like she didn't deserve it, but the Grigori wouldn't take kindly to Maira for that.

_ No turning back now_.

The HQ was oddly...empty. Leah knew there was a shortage of Exorcists in this branch, but this was ridiculous. She wandered around, hoping that if she did run into someone, it wouldn't be the branch director. Unfortunately, Leah must've done something horrible to Lady Luck, because the exuberant Demon King appeared in all his white and pink glory.

"Why, if it isn't Miss Song." He said with an elegant flourish. Leah smiled at the man -demon?- reluctantly as she bowed.

"Speak of the devil. Or rather, his son." She couldn't help herself. Mephisto chuckled, mildly amused by Leah tendency to turn to sarcasm every chance she got. Usually got her in more trouble than she cared to deal with.

"Sir Pheles." She cleared her throat. "Where is everybody?"

"Not much going on, so I sent them all home. Well, the phone operators are all still here, and some doctors, but they're upstairs." He answered, swinging his cane around idly.

"I see. And your school's Exwires?"

"Oh well, I hardly ever let them here. Too many hormones in that bunch."

"That's not what-"

"I know full well why you're here, Leah Song." Mephisto sounded almost patronizing, but his expression changed to a cheerful one in a matter of seconds.

"I don't beleive you've had a chance to meet miss Kirigakure. She's supposed to leave to pick up the children, but I'm afraid she has forgotten. You wouldn't mind fetching her for me?"

Slightly baffled, Leah was shoved back outside, this time ending up on the streets of True Cross Town. For a moment, she wondered where Mephisto found all the money for this place; he could end world hunger and still have enough leftovers to open three more academies like this one. Hell, he was probably going to, for all she knew.

Despite never meeting Shura in person, Leah knew what she looked like, and it was almost painfully easy to find her. She was, of course, almost passed out in a bar, trying to pick a fight with a fifty-something year old, bearded man who was obviously in a biker gang. The man, however, shrunk when he saw Shura coming for him and even offered to buy her another round- in a tone that suggested fear more than flirting. Guess Shura was notorious for drunken fights around there.

"What would you like miss?" The bartender asked, ignoring the ruckus Shura was causing. Leah turned to look at him, scratching her head. "Just soda. It's too early for me." The man nodded in relief.

"Oh and," She called out before he left. "A beer for her." She jabbed her thumb towards Shura, who had stomped off to her booth in disappointment. The biker dude must've run off. Leah sat opposite of her and studied her. Red hair with yellow tips, purple eyes and the skimpiest clothes a grown woman could wear.

"Yeah? What yer want?" Shura's face was flushed from the alcohol.

"Meph-" Leah was cut off by the bartender who served them their drinks. "Mr. Faust was worried you'd be late." Leah said, knowing that Shura didn't give a damn about the bartender hearing them.

"Late?" She was about to take a sip from her beer. "For what?" Leah gave her an incredulous look.

"Picking up the Exwires?"

"Oh right, right. That thing." Shura took a big gulp of beer and sighed happily.

"I don't think I can drive right now..."

"At least you're responsi-"

"Oh, what the hell! I can, after _another_ beer!" Leah was staring at the scarcely clothed woman, feeling horrified. How did her brother even put up with her? Then again, Leah hadn't been better when she was a teenager, and she had survived the man. Barely.

"I think," She started and grabbed the car keys dangling from Shura's hand, "I'll drive."

* * *

Shima kept looking back and asking about the girls. All the time. Bon was growing more and more irritated by him, while Koneko shifted uncomfortably and Rin ignored them both.

"What if they found the demons?"

"Shima." Bon said slowly, seizing the pink haired idiot by the shoulders.

"Izumo can summon two fox spirits. Shiemi is an exceptional healer. And Maira can control an air elemental and shoot a gun _simultaneously_. Chances are they're better off than we are."

Shima didn't seem convinced, but at the very least, he stopped. Now he was just fidgeting with his staff. Bon rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to fight off the migraine that was beginning to lift it's ugly head.

"Uh, guys..." Rin was standing little ways ahead, looking at something intently. A human skeleton. It wasn't as old as the skull upstairs, but it was just as creepy. As he looked around the corridor, Bon noticed more bones strewn about, some crushed to dust and others half-buried in the dirt.

"We're getting closer."

* * *

"-leave none unfulfilled!" Izumo finished her incantation and her two familiars appeared in a thin cloud of smoke. They growled at the demon, a woman with sharp teeth and blood red eyes. _Vampires. _While there was no doubt this woman and the one in the portrait were the same, this one looked older, starved and dirty. Her bones jutted out, her ragged clothes doing nothing to prevent the girls from seeing her thorax beneath the thin, pale crust of skin.

Her hair, which used to be styled to perfection, now flew in every direction and her mouth was basically a hole with two rows of numerous, needle-like teeth. Her eyes were blank, the irises faded away. It was weird, Maira thought, how well-preserved the little girl was in comparison to her mother. Vampires, as well as anything undead, were related to the Demon King of Rot, Astaroth, and could be killed by either silver or Maira aimed for the head and shot.

The vampire lunged at Shiemi, the only one without any proper defense, just as the bullet whistled by it's head. Maira screamed in her mind for Sentinel, but the spirit had already acted; she was between Shiemi and the vampire before the latter could rend the girl with it's claws. Sentinel's lantern collided with the vampires decomposing face, making it stagger and spin away. The corridor didn't allow for another clear shot, not without accidentally hitting Shiemi or Izumo, so Maira lowered her guns. The twin foxes were on the vampire, biting into it's arms and waist. It wailed in pain and tried to back away. Izumo moved and went behind Maira, offering her a clear shot on the vampire. Maira lifted her arm again, aimed and fired. The bullet missed one of the foxes by inches and struck the vampire in the heart. It screamed again and black, rotten blood spurted from it's chest, dousing the familiars and Maira's arm. Maira shot again, this time right between the eyes. The horrible screeching ceased instantly, and the vampire fell to the ground with a thud. The familiars backed away, spitting rotting flesh.

"Are you okay?" Izumo asked, staring at Maira's arm in disgust. The sleeve was burned through and the pale flesh was singed. Exposure to the blood naturally led to necrosis and eventually turning into a ghoul. Sentinel was about to return to her post as an invisible barrier around Maira, but was cut off by the latter who held a hand up.

"I'll treat it." Shiemi declared and called forth her own familiar, Nii. The baby green man was more than happy to produce 'mister Sancho', something Maira guessed- and hoped- was a nickname for Aloe Vera. Shiemi spread the stalk over the burns, and Maira felt, for a second, like she was taking a warm shower after a long day. The burns would heal on their own just fine, but Shiemi was adamant in keeping the stalk on and letting the flesh drink in the juice.

Maira smiled at the blond girl. Shiemi might be naive and innocent, but she wasn't entirely hopeless, as people presumed. Instead, her naivety hid a type of ferocity that reminded Maira of Sarita. _Sarita..._The half-demon, Indian girl from Maira's former class, who could fight in a sari- and had, in innumerable occasions- and still come out unscathed. And, on another occasion, stomp a dryad to death with her boots because it had knocked down Nathan. Shiemi was basically as caring as Sarita had been, and Maira could only feel pity towards the thing, or person, that incurred her wrath.

They proceeded, with Sentinel, Uke and Mikke leading them further down. There were more and more bones, protruding from the ground like jagged teeth. At some point, the corridor widened into a large room, with another corridor at the other side. As Maira stepped in, she heard the soft rustle of clothes behind her, and turned fast enough to hear her spine creak in protest. The barrel of her revolver was pressed against a forehead that definitely belonged to a human. Unless her boyfriend had been turned into a vampire after they split up.

Renzo had frozen in his place, looking at the gun with a grimace. "Nice to see you too?" He said with a light tremble. Maira sighed and lowered her weapon.

"Sorry." She smiled sheepishly. As soon as the impending threat of a bullet was out of the way, his expression changed to his usual, carefree grin. Then, out of the blue, he pulled her into him, trapping her in his arms. Maira felt her cheeks warm up as the other boys entered the room, but the hand that had traveled to the back of her head encouraged her not to look. She buried her face in his shoulder, trying to block everything and everyone out.

"Wait, what's that?" Shima pulled away and took her injured arm in his hand, inspecting it. The fluid from the aloe must have gone on the back of his shirt, she guessed. "We run into one of them. The woman." Izumo said, her arms crossed against her chest.

"We didn't see anyone..." Bon replied and glanced around the room. Even this one had bones strewn about everywhere, and there were even piles of them in the corners. Maira shivered when she saw them, causing Shima to pull her closer again. Sentinel was standing in the middle of the room, not doing anything. She was staring off into space, and Maira wondered if the spirit suddenly felt too uncomfortable to look at her and Shima. She felt a smirk form on her lips; Sentinel was more like a big sister, and pestering her felt _exhilarating_.

Another figure appeared from the third corridor they hadn't gotten to yet. A child, no older than six, with short blond hair and blue eyes. The doll, or rather the vampire child pretending to be a doll wandered into the room freely. Maira gasped, as did everyone else with the exception of the friendly demons. The little girl studied them all for a moment, and then grinned. Her teeth were like million tiny needles, like her mother's were. Maira wondered if the child cared that her mother had just died, as Shima moved away and got in between her and the vampire. Unlike the other one, the six year old let out a deafening screech, and Maira swore the ground below her feet shook whole. One of the bone piles crumbled, and from underneath it rose a second vampiric figure. The boy from the portrait, Maira realised. Only, instead of a gleeful grin, he looked sad what with his bones showing through his clothes, and his jaw missing. Maira cringed at the sight; where the boy's jaw used to be now were strips of decomposing flesh dangling. The upper row of sharp teeth was missing too, as was a piece of his nose. The boy looked more like a ghoul than a vampire.

"The girl." Bon muttered, realization dawning on him. "She...she turned them." It made sense. There was no way the rest of her family looked so gross and _dead_ and she could pass for a doll. The little girl had sired them and probably set the fire.

"_Daddy can't make it..._" The vampire girl said, faking sadness. Her voice was high-pitched, but not the way toddler's voices were. Hers was disgustingly sweet and dark. "_I tried to save him, but he burned me. So, he had to go..._" She smiled, her teeth protruding from her mouth as if they were trying to reach out to the Exwires. That also explained the fire. The father was the only one not to get turned. Obviously the boy had been damaged in the fire too, but his sister had already bitten him.

Rin was the first to react. He drew his sword and lunged at her. The vampire was fast enough to dodge the attack and now stood next to her brother, her blues eyes darkening. She screeched again, and her brother started moving forward, as if powered by a clockwork mechanism. His face was far too mutilated, but to Maira, it looked like he was begging. Begging for death. Before she even knew it, she had taken her gun out and fired once. Much like his mother, the boy fell to ground with a thud. She hoped he was happy, wherever he was. It was a silly thought, but it was the only one that could form in her mind. Shima half turned to look at her with a shocked expression; the bullet had whistled past his head because he was blocking her vision.

The little girl was now enraged. She lunged at Sentinel, who was still standing in the middle of the room unmoving, and buried her fangs in her neck. Sentinel, as if broken out of a reverie, opened her mouth to scream, but not sound came out. Her form dissipated and returned to Maira, whose head felt like it had just exploded. She doubled over with her head in her hands, and Shima knelt next to her, trying to calm her down. She was screaming. The vampire looked satisfied with her work.

Rin attacked her again, but he was too slow for her. She kept dodging his attacks, becoming angrier and angrier every time he swung the blade at her. Izumo ordered her familiars to help him, but there was little they could do. Bon and Koneko began reciting a sutra that was meant to exorcise the undead, but the vampire was left untouched.

Maira could hear their voices as if they were all in a well. Her vision was swimming and she felt like throwing up. Sentinel attempted to calm her down, but her soundless presence was only worsening the situation. Every time the spirit touched her, the echoes in her head grew louder and louder. Shima wasn't helping much either; his voice, although barely above a whisper, echoed in her mind like chalk against the blackboard. She kept on screaming, although she didn't know if she was forming words. Shiemi came to kneel beside her, but at least she saw that there was nothing she could do to help. Then, she told Renzo something. Maira couldn't hear what it was.

And then, everything stopped. Sentinel's caress, the echoes, everything ceased. Like someone had shut down the power in her mind. She had stopped screaming, because she physically couldn't. Her mouth was covered by Renzo's. The sound of metal on metal was heard loud and clear, although not maddeningly so. Maira eased into Renzo's arms, her arms falling from her head to her sides helplessly. She felt paralyzed, but it was better than not being able to think. Renzo pulled away, and smiled when he saw she wasn't screaming anymore.

"Whirlwind." Her throat felt raw from the screaming, and her weak came out weak. So weak, that Renzo didn't hear her, but that didn't matter. Sentinel had her order.

The vampire stopped moving as a mini tornado came at her, completely ignoring Izumo, who was in it's way. The vampire's fragile body was lifted into the air and started spinning so much that just looking at it gave the exwires a headache. Sentinel's whirlwind hurled the disoriented vampire into the stone wall, leaving a large crack on it upon impact. Rin used the vampire's disorientation to his advantage; he run to her and slashed once.

Maira's vision was narrowing, but she managed to see it's blond head roll off it's shoulders before she blacked out.


	16. Three Wishes

The severed head rolled all the way to Bon's feet, it's glassy blue eyes staring at him blankly. He looked at it in disgust and kicked it away. Behind him, Maira had stopped screaming; her screaming along with the vampire's had made the walls shake like an earthquake. Bits of granite were falling from the stone ceiling like brown snowflakes.

Rin sheathed his sword, the blue fames subsiding and his ears and teeth turning back to their usual proportions. The chanting hadn't worked on the vampire, not even a little bit. Granted, it was the first time Bon felt useless in a fight.

"Think that corridor leads out?" He asked, pointing to the passage the vampire had appeared from. Rin shrugged; all this jumping around had made him tired. Add in the fact that he barely slept the other night, and Rin should have blacked out, were he a normal human being.

"It leads _somewhere_."

* * *

Maira had a hard time staying awake. Every time her eyes opened, all she got were blurred images for a few seconds. Then she passed out again. And when she did, she would succumb to a sleep that left her tired instead of rested. From what little she could make out, Rin was carrying her on his back. She never caught a glimpse of Renzo's pink hair, but she could _feel_ him nearby.

_"Wake up. Mai, wake up!" Someone was shaking her roughly, alarm evident in their voice. Maira's eyes opened just a fraction and she realized her head hurt like hell. Leah was kneeling over her, a concerned look on her face._

_"Mai!" She went to shake her again, but Maira stopped her. The younger girl sat up, nearly doubling over when she felt a sharp pain in her ribs._

_"Good, you're okay." Leah breathed in relief, although Maira felt far from okay._

_"What happened?" She asked quietly and rubbed her eyes. There was dust in them, somehow. Then she remembered. She had been knocked back by _something_ and crashed into a wall. Where said wall used to be, now were jagged points jutting out like broken teeth. _

_"Mai, listen to me." Leah, grabbing the other girl's face with her hands, forced her to look at her. "You need to find Logan. Go!"_

_Stumbling, Maira rose to her feet. Her head continued it's hammering and she almost fell back down. When she looked back, Leah had already gone back into the fray. From where she stood, Maira could only see eerie blue lights, and her ringing ears sometimes caught sounds like screeching. She turned away, trying to remember where Logan and the others were. Her face felt wet, and when she touched it, her hand came back bloody._

* * *

Shura was leaning casually against the van, chugging down a new can of beer. Leah found herself wondering how the woman's liver looked like, if she still had one of those. As for herself, Leah was pacing back and forth anxiously. They had arrived early, and were not supposed to interfere until sundown. She glanced at the horizon, the sun had barely begun it's descent and Leah didn't know how to feel about it.

Every second that passed brought her closer to the inevitable. Shura was staring at her bemused; she had somehow sobered up a bit, even though she'd been drinking all this time.

"Are ya workin' out, or somethin'?" Leah clasped her hands together and stopped. She turned to Shura, ready with a comeback, when the ground beneath them trembled. Well, it was more of a tremor really, but it was enough to make Leah jump. This lack of fighting had her nerves completely messed up. The two women exchanged looks of curiosity. Shura crumbled the now-empty can and threw it to the side of the dirt road. They were going in.

Inside the house, they found a positively creepy kid with a pink sock-puppet, staring at a door. Before Leah's nerves could act up, Shura casually strolled up to him and rested her elbow on his head.

"Hey, stupid. Where're the others?"

"Get your filthy paws offa me, you fatass!" The boy- no, the_ puppet_ said, flapping it's mouth animatedly. Shura's carefree expression faltered as she whacked the kid and the puppet over their heads. Leah could only stare in utter confusion.

"You might wanna wait it out here, Lu." Shura told her while trying to hit the kid again.

"It's Leah..." The blond woman grumbled helplessly.

* * *

Maira was...surprisingly heavier than Rin had thought. Then again, muscle weighs more than fat. She'd been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past five minutes. They had decided to head back the way they came; Takara was still upstairs and both Mai and Sentinel were out of commission, so the prospect of more danger wasn't enticing.

"So, the girl was possessed?" He asked at some point. Demonology was by far the most boring class in Cram School, and he wasn't sure they'd done about vampires. Or maybe they had and he'd slept through it, which was a far more viable explanation.

"Not exactly. Her mother might have...consumed demon blood while she was pregnant." Konekomaru attempted to explain. "The girl was born like that. She managed to Turn her brother and mother, but her father caught onto it."

"Yeah, he was probably reading up on vampires before he died, hence the disappearance of the books in his study. She probably burned them." Bon added with a shrug.

"And Mai?" Shima asked, somewhat impatiently. Rin was convinced that if the pink haired guy could lift, he'd have hauled Maira out hours ago. But he couldn't, so they were both stranded with the other Exwires.

"...I don't think she's a blood-sucking monster." Bon teased.

"No, I mean, what happened?"

"Shock." Shiemi replied. "Maybe the bond between her and Sentinel is too fragile. So when she was bitten..." The blond girl trailed off. Rin glanced at the brunette, whose head was resting on his shoulder. She was still out and it was hard to tell she'd been screaming her head off just ten minutes ago; she looked too peaceful. She stirred, cracking one green eye open. Well, half-open. This time, she stayed awake long enough to raise her head and look around sleepily.

"We're almost out." Rin told her, although he wasn't sure she'd understood or even heard him. He could see the light of the living room up in the distance; probably thirty more steps.

They entered the room, expecting to find Takara staring at nothing. Instead, they found Shura trying to beat him and a very frazzled-looking Leah standing off to the side, debating something silently. The golden-haired woman was the first to notice them. Her lips parted when she saw Maira, and Maira saw her too.

Slowly, Rin let her feet touch the ground and looked at her. She was staring at Leah with an expression just as shocked, and something else swimming in her green eyes. Rin knew that particular emotion all too well; anger. Maira took one step towards Leah, who mirrored her movement. Rin felt that they would start circling each other, trying to figure out if they were real. They didn't. Instead, Leah reached out and seized Mai by the shoulders.

"You got taller." She noted. There was something in her voice that hadn't been there the last- and first- time Rin saw her. He guessed that it was a motherly tone, but he couldn't know; Maira's face was obscured by her hair that went down her back in dusty, brown waves. She didn't answer, but she had tensed up the moment Leah touched her.

"Why?" Maira asked. Rin could remember clearly the last time she'd made that question to Leah. The other woman's eyebrows knit together as she looked down at her student.

"Why did you have to leave?!" Despite the thick curtain of hair, Rin could see tears glistening in the setting sun. They streamed down her face and as she looked down, her bared teeth became visible. Leah's hands fell to her sides and her green eyes glinted. It was obvious she wasn't sure how to respond.

Shura and Takara had stopped messing around and were silently watching the exchange. Rin also noticed Shima standing next to him, his fists glued to his sides, clenching and unclenching. He probably felt as betrayed as Maira did right now.

Maira wiped her tears hastily and stomped out of the mansion, leaving Leah to stare at the spot she used to stand in.

* * *

Questions circled in her mind and Maira sincerely wished for the agony she felt earlier to return. She had spent a year, wasting her life and grieving for someone who wasn't dead. Someone who hadn't even suffered a scratch from Egyn. Someone who betrayed her trust and left her in the dark.

She was running. She had passed the stupid, pink van with the Academy's logo long ago and was now running down the hill, hoping no one was following her. She thought she was sad, but as her blood boiled in her veins she realized she was angry. No, not angry. She was _furious._

The bitter and sarcastic part of her pointed out how convenient it was for Sentinel to be an air elemental instead of a fire demon. She would have gone up in flames along with Leah and the whole damned place if that were the case.

She knew what she needed. The thrill of battle and then the cuts and bruises to chase away the emptiness she felt inside. Too bad the vampire had been taken care of. Now all she could do was run and try to remember the image of it's head rolling off it's shoulders, but it wouldn't form. She searched deeper, wiping the dust off her happier memories; slaying ghouls with Logan, or exorcising possessed vines with Nathan by setting them on fire. She remembered the latter well. The flames springing to life, amplified by Nathan's chanting and the screams of the plants- if they could be called screams- as every hint of water in them went up in smoke.

No matter how many times she replayed the memory in her head, the exhilarating effect it had became duller and duller until it was no more. When it had faded completely, she realized someone was behind her, struggling to catch up. She was still running, even though the sun had gone down a long time ago. She didn't want to stop. There was nothing anyone could say to make it right.

* * *

Rin watched Maira run outside, feeling unable to move. He couldn't say he knew her enough to be able to chase after and comfort her. Probably everyone else thought the same except, of course, for Shima who only took a couple of seconds to realize what had happened. He went after her, calling her name as he went. Leah was still glaring at the spot, more likely angry at herself than Mai. Her breathing had become uneven and it wasn't long before she stomped out too, only she headed towards the opposite direction. Shura, who had grabbed Takara by the collar and was attempting to take his puppet from him, was staring at her intently, as if she didn't understand what was going on.

It had been a good five minutes before anyone was able to do anything. Izumo wandered outside to get some air and Bon followed to try and call Shima and Maira. It was starting to get dark, and the last thing anyone wanted was to have Shura drive them back in completely darkness or worse still, stay another night in the mansion. Rin knew it'd be a while before either Maira calmed down or Shima gave up on finding her, so he decided to find out more about vampires. He turned to Konekomaru with a grin that told the bald boy everything he needed to know.

"Sit down." He sighed in defeat. Rin sat on the floor cross-legged and Konekomaru did the same, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he did.

"Um..." Shiemi chimed in before Konekomaru could start. "I hadn't joined Cram School when we covered that, so..." The shorter boy gestured for her to sit, and she obeyed timidly, not very eager to get dirt on her uniform.

"Vampires can be created in many ways." He started. "Like in this case, a woman can consume demon blood during pregnancy. The blood doesn't affect her, but it changes the baby. Another way is to be bitten by a vampire."

Rin raised his hand, still grinning. "Any kind of demon blood?"

"Yeah. Even Nii's blood. Of course you'd have to be pregnant..."

"But, the girl looked so different..." Shiemi said quietly.

"She was born a vampire. Her mother and her brother were turned. However her mother managed to get demon blood, it wasn't enough. The vampire that created wasn't strong enough and the results of the bite were...mediocre."

"Then there's also that fire thing she mentioned..." Rin added, looking over at the piles of dirt and ash that used to be furniture.

"Probably."

* * *

Deep in her musings, Maira heard a crash behind her. It was loud enough to momentarily chase the fury away and make her turn around. Now drenched in fresh mud was a panting Shima, his K'rik still in his hands. He was on all fours, getting up from the mud. The sight hit her like a train;it was Renzo who had come after her.

He looked up at her still panting, half his face covered in mud. He didn't seem angry, he looked relieved, despite his predicament; his school uniform had ripped at his knee, exposing red flesh. Timidly, she walked over to him.

"I tripped over my K'rik." He admitted sheepishly. Maira felt horrible; who knows how long he'd been chasing her, how many times he called her name. And she kept running, thinking adrenaline could solve her problems.

"I'm sorry..." She muttered as she helped him up, her eyes burning with a new wave of tears. He frowned at her and touched her face. The mud on his hand smeared on her cheek, but she didn't care.

"Don't be. That was a lot to take in." He assured her. She wasn't sure if he could see her crying in the darkness; Sentinel's constant presence provided somewhat better senses and she could see him perfectly, from his lopsided smile to the small scar over his eyebrow. His hand moved from her face to her elbow as he guided her away from the dirt road and into the forest. They sat under a tree not to far from the road, so they wouldn't get lost in the dark. She didn't need him to explain what he was doing.

"She lied to me." Renzo had pulled her so close, she could hear his heartbeat. He didn't speak, he only listened. Beneath them was wet mud mixed with dead leaves from the tree above, and there were no bright stars or fireflies buzzing about, but the atmosphere made her fury turn into something else.

And Renzo listened to her go on about her feelings and looked at her like she was the only thing there was around him.

"At least you don't have that problem with your family." She said in the end. Renzo shifted uncomfortably and looked away. The moment was broken and Maira mentally kicked herself for being the one to do it.

"I don't get on with them that good." He said. He retracted his arm, which was around Maira, and looked at it. "They expect me to be just like Take-nii. But I can't even remember him anymore." He shook his head and smiled sadly as he turned his glance back down at her. This wasn't the first time Renzo's oldest brother had been mentioned. Early when they started going out, Renzo had said that he died when their temple burned down. Other than that, his name had never been so much as uttered again.

"'What would Take-nii say?' That's all I ever get from them." It was Maira's turn to comfort him. She had thrown her legs over his when she was talking and now wrapped her arms around him, absently noting how thin he was.

"It's funny, isn't it?" He mused as he looked up at the starless sky. "They have so many kids and yet they refuse to see. See that we're not the same." He pressed his head against the bark and Maira did the same to his chest.

She didn't know how long they sat like this; the moon was high on the sky when she spotted a ray of torch light out of the corner of her eye. Renzo craned his neck with a quiet and pained groan; they'd probably been like this for a few hours. Rin appeared with Shiemi, waving a flashlight around, on the patch of road that was visible from their spot.

With his superior senses, Rin spotted them right away, but he took his time calling out to them or approaching them. Reluctantly, Maira rose to her feet and realized that she'd been sitting in mud this whole time.

* * *

The ride back had been awkward, to say the least. Fortunately, Leah had already left, but it didn't do much to lighten Maira's mood. She could _smell_ her presence in the van. Worse still, she had to go home.

She wasn't that shocked to find the lights on when she walked in. She'd told her parents that she was going on a field trip with her track and field club, but she had gotten home later than she had promised. And her phone had died, so any calls they made went by unnoticed.

What she didn't expect was to find her mother passed out on the couch with an empty bottle of wine in her hand. There was no glass in sight- or her father, come to think of it. Maira frowned as she took the bottle and set it on the table. After she had announced to them that she was hellbent on moving to Japan, her parents had agreed on changing a few things about themselves. Her mother would stop drinking. Her father would stop leaving without warning whenever he felt like it. He would stop cheating.

The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air and it made Maira's stomach turn and tumble so much that she couldn't bring herself to go upstairs and lock her bedroom door. She didn't want to be in the house if her father came home.

So, she grabbed her keys and left again.

* * *

**Now see, writing this kind of romance is way easier for me. I know I took too long to have both Mai and Leah in the same room (awake), but it happened. And you also get to see why Mai preferred the Cram School to her actual family. Dysfunctional families, yay. **


	17. Reconciliation

Shima woke up to his bed dipping under extra weight. He turned, his eyes half-closed, to see an all too familiar figure laying down next to him.

"Mai?" Her name came out slurred, but she heard him. She turned her head towards him, smiling sheepishly.

"I couldn't stay home." She explained.

Shima felt so tired he couldn't protest when she cuddled up next to him. She burred her head in his chest and her scent filled his nose. Sleepily, he draped an arm around her, drawing her even closer. Surprisingly, she fell asleep faster than him; her steady breathing, mixed with the scent and the warmth guided him down to sleep in just a few minutes.

* * *

The walk from the Academy's wall to the exorcist shop was a long one. Leah could have easily used her key to turn up inside the shop, but she needed some time to think. The smells hit her and she realized she was close to the shop. As she looked up, she saw the old wooden sign and the garden, framed with intricate black metal fences, no doubt warded to hell.

It was the beginning of spring, and yet the garden was overflowing with flowers of all kinds. Leah looked back down; in the early rays of sunlight, the colors were hard to bear. The girl, Moriyama, was in the middle of the garden, obliviously tending to the plants around her. Leah opened the heavy metal door, and it swung with a loud creak. The girl looked up from where she sat and smiled.

"Hello." She greeted when Leah was standing over her. Leah couldn't bring herself to smile back; she had woken up feeling sick and feeling like she deserved it. Still, there were a few things she needed to take care of.

"Sir Pheles said you grow a lot of flowers here." She pointed out. The girl's smiled faded a bit and she rose, dusting her kimono off.

"You mean the orchids that poisoned Maira?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Leah nodded, remembering the blue poison that oozed from the cut. Shiemi left without saying anything, but Leah knew to follow the girl.

The orchids sprouted from the ground proudly in the north-most corner of the garden. Their petals were as blue as the poison they produced, but they didn't look like orchids to Leah.

"They're made from breeding wolfs-bane with orchids. They're nicknamed Deathbells." Shiemi answered before Leah could even ask. The girl bent down and shoveled one of the plants out and diligently placed it in a small pot.

"Here." She handed the pot to Leah and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Strange how protective you are of such a deadly thing." Leah mused. Shiemi's smile disappeared completely as she looked up at her.

"That goes both ways." She pointed out. Leah was slightly baffled, but then again, it was expected.

"Of course," She sighed, tracing a blue petal with her finger, "Little wallflowers like you can see right through people."

"Maira isn't a monster." Shiemi retorted. Then, she she wore the most determined expression she could muster and looked Leah right in the eye. "You should talk to her. You know you should."

Leah pursed her lips and the girl's determination crumbled. "It's not about whether or not I want to talk to her." Leah began. "It's about whether or not she'll listen."

* * *

Maira stared at her cellphone. The screen was bright with a new message. From Leah. Frowning, she threw the device on her bed and tied her hair in a bun at the nape of her neck. Even if she wanted to talk to her former mentor, she was otherwise occupied for the day.

Despite having trained with firearms for at least four years, she had never even come close to touching sniper rifles. Fortunately, Mephisto had created training programs for Cram School students that focused on meisters. So today, Maira was going to use sniper rifles for the first time.

In her old house in Britain, she had a fake wall in the back of her closet, where she kept all her guns and everything else she needed to preserve them. In her arsenal were her trademark revolvers, a shotgun, a hunting rifle, a crossbow she never used, and a bow with two full quivers of silver arrows. Now all she had left were the revolvers and the shotgun. Everything else she'd been forced to leave with Nathan's parents, as she couldn't get them past airport security; she had the rest of them smuggled in Japan.

The training grounds were fairly simple; Maira and her instructor were perched on top of a building and below them were moving targets. Maira had proven that her aim was steady, so they'd skipped still targets.

She had laying on her stomach, looking through the sniper rifle's telescopic sight and aimed for the heart, as her instructor had ordered. She followed the target for a few seconds, making sure she had the right angle, and fired. The bullet whistled through the air and struck the paper target were the heart should be. Her instructor, a woman in her fifties with the most steady hands Maira had ever seen, smiled in approval.

"Good. Now, some missions will require you to capture a demon alive. Where do you shoot?" She asked, peering down at Maira.

"Knees and ankles." She answered mechanically.

"Right. Tails are also very sensitive, but demons make a point of hiding them and they're very easy to miss with , aim for the knees." The woman instructed.

Just like before, Maira looked through the lens and aimed. Once again, the bullet went through the paper kneecaps, leaving a smoking hole. In her back pocket, her phone started ringing again.

"Take five." Her instructor said. Sighing, Maira sat up and took out her phone. She didn't even look at the caller.

"Hello?"

"Maira, we need to talk." Leah's voice came from the other end.

"I'm busy." Maira answered simply, letting her annoyance show. Leah sighed.

"Listen, I know how you feel, that's why I need to talk to you."

"I don't wanna hear it, Leah. Just...just leave me alone." Maira hung up before the blond woman could reply. It had taken all her self-control to calm down after the other night, and she wasn't in the mood to go through it again.

Besides, she had Shima to talk to then. Now he was in class and she couldn't very well barge in and start bawling again. Her phone started ringining again. Angrily, she answered.

"Which part of 'go away' didn't you understand?" She practically yelled into the device. Her instructor, who was walking away to do whatever, glanced back in surprise.

"You said to leave you alone, not go away." Leah deadpanned. Before Maira could speak, Leah cut her off, "I just need you to listen to a few things. If you still want me out of your life, then fine. But I'm _not_ leaving without telling you. I _will_ tie you down if I have to."

Maira was quiet for a few moments; a determined Leah was actually more scary than a pissed off Leah, as her experience with the woman had proven. She chewed on her lip as Leah's sigh echoed through the phone.

"Fine." She said finally. "But this changes nothing."

The remaining thirty minutes of practice had gone by surprisingly fast. As it turned out, Maira was fairly good with sniper rifles, and the still-singed holes in the paper targets were proof enough.

Leah had asked her to meet in a hole-in-the-wall bar in town. As Maira came closer to the place, she started wondering if she'd be allowed in; she couldn't even fake being legal, what with her round face and her height. Fortunately, there was no bouncer outside or inside. Leah was sitting in a booth with an untouched glass of wine in front of her. She was tracing the rim absently with her index and was looking at the wooden paneling, contemplating.

Maira slid into the booth wordlessly. The golden-haired woman's gaze shifted from the wall to the girl in front of her, and the clouded-over look faded. She looked...nervous, to say the least. Like she did whenever Logan left her in charge of a mission with all the Exwires following her around.

"So spill already." Maira said; Leah had been opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of the water.

"I guess sorry isn't gonna cut it...Listen, I didn't leave because I was scared of dying." She began, suddenly finding the wine more interesting. "I left because...because we needed help. I thought that if I sent you away, Susanoo wouldn't be able to chase after you. I thought I'd get there in time." Silently, Maira noted the grip she had on the tall glass; Leah's knuckles were white- whiter than the rest of her at least- and there was a small, innocent crack forming on the glass.

"I know why you left. That's not why I'm angry at you." She replied. "I'm angry because..." She took a deep breath. Talking about it with Shima a week ago was nothing compared to telling Leah. A part of her knew that she was going to hurt her if she continued; hurt the only person she had left, someone who might as well have been a mother and a sister to her.

"I'm angry because you didn't make an effort to help afterwards. I spent a year of my life grieving on my own. For Logan, for Nathan and for you. And you didn't even think of easing that pain for me. You stayed away, as if Egyn would come back as soon as we were together." The little, logical voice in her head had been right; Leah looked hurt. Not pride-wounded but really, irreparably hurt.

"I know it was hard on you too. You and Logan were inseparable. We could- _should_ have been together through this mess." She finished. She still felt angry, like she should shoot the woman, but at the same time felt as hurt as Leah looked.

Leah reached over the table and took Maira's hand in hers. The girl didn't resist; Leah's skin was naturally warmer than other people's, thanks to her demon.

"We can still get through this together." She said, hope written on her face. Maira wanted to reject the offer, shake her hand and walk out. She wanted to hurt Leah.

But she couldn't. Instead, she looked up at the woman. Smiling timidly, she was about to accept. The door opened, bringing a gust of wind and making Leah's head shot up in horror. Maira spun in her seat and saw the Paladin standing at ther door in all his white glory. Next to him was a man with an outfit that suggested summer holidays.

"Why is your brother here?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the odd pair of men.

"I have no fucking idea- wait, you know Arthur?" Oh, Maira knew Arthur. Other than waking up to him carrying her to the True Cross infirmary some weeks back, she'd met the guy on his sister's supposed funeral. It was an empty casket funeral because no body was ever found, obviously. Maira now felt a little dumb for not noticing sooner; no body and Arthur's passiveness at the death of his baby sister. It was like the universe had hung neon 'Leah's alive' signs in front of her and she just ignored them.

It wasn't long before Arthur noticed them gaping at him. He strode over and regally sat down next to his sister. The bucket hat man sat down next to Maira, almost squeezing her between himself and the wall.

"I don't recall sending you two an invite." Leah glared at her brother. It was surprising how similar they were; they could pass for twins.

"What? Can't a man have a drink with his sister, his best friend and his sister's...uh..."

"Sister." Both women finished simultaneously and grinned at each other. It was starting to feel like old times, when they'd joke about everything, even the things that weren't supposed to be funny. Including Leah's abilities at summoning, which were horrific.

"Okay..." The man glanced at the two with a slightly weirded out expression, and then turned to Arthur.

"Looks like your family just keeps getting bigger." He joked.

"Shut up Lightning." Arthur deadpanned, glancing at Leah's wine in consideration.

"That's more like it." Leah lifted her chin at Lightning, who just gave her a ticked off smirk.

"You two Leah."

"Wha- Hey!" Leah turned to her brother, faking offense. "Did you come over to tell to shut up? I was having a moment here!" She gestured to Maira, who was watching the exchange bemusedly.

"Actually, Lewin found something you should check out." Arthur said. "Are you going to drink that?"

* * *

Shima had, for once, enough determination to study. He wasn't going out with Maira today, so he had the afternoon to himself. Just as he was going to get started on doing his day school homework, someone knocked on the door. Shima jumped up to answer himself; after Maira's sudden night visit, he'd gotten a little self-conscious and decided to hide his porn away. It didn't help that said collection covered two thirds of his wall.

And, of course, it just had to be Maira outside the door. And she was grinning at him like a child that had just found a way to get to the cookie jar.

"Hey. I thought it was-" Maira basically jumped on him, pressing her lips against his. Shima wrapped an arm around her and stepped further into the room, kicking the door closed behind her. She pulled away, her grin now complete with a slight blush that she couldn't hide, thanks to her hair being tied.

"Hi." She said breathlessly. Somehow, she completely ignored the piles of hentai that littered his floor and for that, Shima was eternally grateful. Last thing he needed was for Maira to stop talking to him over his porn collection.

"I talked to Leah." She said, putting her arms around his neck.

"Oh..." He didn't think the situation fitted that grin. "And? How'd it go?"

"I think...I think it's gonna be fine." She kissed him again, only this time it was a short peck.

"Um...do you mind if I sleep over tonight?" She turned her head to the side, exposing her bare neck. It took all of his willpower not to start kissing her.

"I don't wanna go home." She explained, her grin faltering and turning into a grimace. Shima let his fingers go through her hair, letting it cascade down her back. Her arms left his neck and traveled down to the hem of his shirt, bunching it up and drawing him closer.

* * *

Bon barely had enough patience left in him to knock. Shima had been borrowing his pencils all week and, of course, completely forgot to return any of them. Obviously, Bon had a lot of writing utensils stashed away in case he needed them, but that didn't mean that the pink-haired idiot could take all of them. Besides, Bon would be damned if he had to start using his stash up when all his pencils were right next door.

Bon and Konekomaru shared a room, mostly because neither of them could stand Shima's laziness and lack of discipline when it came to keeping his room clean. Thankfully, he landed a room right next to them and had managed to chase off his original roommate; it made studying for Cram School way easier.

So, naturally, when Bon barged in the room, the last thing he expected to find within was Maira, standing amidst piles of magazines in her undershirt, kissing.

Bon spun around and closed the door in the same fashion he'd gone in. He was pretty sure Maira noticed him, but she certainly made no effort to call him out on it. That would have been even more embarrassing.

Flabbergast, Bon marched back into his room and half-jumped, half-fell in his bed. Konekomaru glanced up from his book, his nose literally buried in it.

"Got your pencils back?" He asked. He'd been poring over the book for the better half of the day, and his voice came out strained from the hours of not talking.

"No." Bon stared at the ceiling. "What time is curfew?" Konekomaru now fully looked up, looking at the stripe-haired boy quizzically.

"You don't know? Then again, you're always spending your nights here..." The bald boy mused and cleared his throat when Bon glared at him. "At eight."

"But it's ten..."

"And?"

Bon looked at his friend, contemplating whether or not he should tell him. What Shima did in his room was Shima's business, and they would no doubt hear all about it in the morning. And while Bon wasn't that prejudiced about girl's staying over at the boy's dorm, that was Maira- a relatively shy and withdrawn girl they'd known for two months- staying over with Shima. And making out with him.

"Nothing." Bon decided to spare the boy the information and just let him suffer in the morning, as their friend would definitely tell them. Unless, of course, Shima decided to keep it to himself, although it was unlikely.

* * *

Leah groaned for the tenth time that night. Despite Lewin insisting that his readings had finally picked something up, there was absolutely nothing.

After that bar-disaster, Leah had gone back to the village with Lewin, leaving Angel to enjoy the wine. Of course, her brother was more bloodthirsty than a pack of starved Bloodhounds, and it hadn't taken long for him to join them. Which was a good thing too, because Leah wasn't sure how long she could take before she strangled Lightning within an inch of his miserable life.

Still, they had come up empty-handed. The village wasn't that big and water demons weren't renowned for the stealth; three experienced Exorcists would have rutted them out within a few hours.

Now Leah was slaving over Lewin's laptop, trying to see if the man made a mistake in his calculations. Susanoo might have left, but the readings suggested a high demonic activity in the area. Then again, they may have picked up signals from the demons she and Angel had slain a month and a half before; there were way too many of them, and Leah wouldn't be surprised if their stench messed up the readings.

What was more, Leah was _annoyed_. She'd finally gotten Maira to listen to her, and just as she thought things were fine- boom! Angel barged in, thinking he was more important. And then there was the fact that blood thirst was something she'd inherited along with her brother from God-knows-who. And she obviously hadn't had a chance to bash a demon's face in with her Aegis.

She clicked her tongue, finally shutting off the computer. She could pay Mephistopheles a visit the next day, ask him if he knew where his brother had gone off to. The demon king of Time had already betrayed his father once, he probably wouldn't mind doing the same to his siblings; he had been the Order's ally for over two centuries, after all. Absently, she traced the Mark over her chest, feeling the power swelling within.

* * *

**Eh...the story might've progressed a little here, I think. As a side note, the Deathbell is the tittle of a film and also the name for a plant in the _Elder Scrolls: Skyrim_ (it's also poisonous there).**

**And, Leah has a meister in Knight, but instead of a demon sword she has a demon _shield_. Because she such a special snowflake...**


	18. You're Forgetting

Shima was in that half-awake, half-asleep place, barely aware of Maira getting up next to him. She swung her legs over the bed, sleepily searching for her shoes. Untangling herself from the 'big spoon' position she had assumed while sleeping without waking Renzo was enough to put her in a bad mood. The fact that it wasn't even five in the morning yet also bothered her. She had to get home before her dad or mom noticed her absence.

Then again, Maira would be beyond surprised if her parents noticed anything. Her dad never bothered with her, and her mom gave up on checking on her shortly after she started locking doors. She could spend hours in the bath tub like that and no one would bother her.

Regardless, Maira had to catch the first train home, so staying anymore than she already had wasn't an option. Carefully, she exited the room and walked down the hallway, hoping no one in the dorms was in the habit of getting up early. She was pretty sure Mephisto wouldn't be very lenient if he found out that a female student had spent the night at the boys' dorm, even though all she had done with Renzo was cuddle.

After the attempt on her life two months back, Maira wasn't very happy about going out alone. Granted, Sentinel could protect her if something happened- even the spirit was jumpy now- and it had been her fault she got caught so easily; she had taken a shortcut and gone through an alleyway after all.

Not even the sun was up, she noticed. Surely, the sky would turn pink in just a few more minutes, but it was still dark blue and the moon was only half visible as it disappeared in the horizon. So, Maira trudged through the campus, hoping no one decided to jump her as she didn't have her guns on her.

She felt Sentinel pull away, or rather, stop moving. Well, Sentinel was currently more like an aura rather than a ghost hanging around her, but that didn't matter at the moment. Maira stopped walking and turned back, trying to determine what Sentinel was looking at.

There a small, harmless looking demon next to the fountain; a water spirit. It was knee-high to Maira and it was splashing about in the water happily. It noticed Maira, and possibly Sentinel, staring at it, and smiled. If Sentinel was in her material form, Maira would've dragged her out of there in annoyance. Ever since Egyn's attack, Sentinel _hated_ water demons, even if they were absolutely harmless. Maira herself wasn't too trusting of them, but at least she knew which demons were dangerous and which preffered hugs and unicorn stickers. Besides, the barriers along the Academy kept all demons that fell in the former category out, while demons like the one at the fountain were allowed to hang around.

Maira just scratched her head and moved along, forcing the ticked off spirit to follow. She could feel her buzzing about, trying to complain about not killing the damn demon off, like it was going to attack. Maira waved her off; it was too early for this.

Just as she reached the bridge, the sun began it's ascent, the orange and golden colors reflecting on the water below. Maira couldn't help herself and leaned over the railing, marvelling at the view. Her moodiness melted away as the first rays of sunlight hit her; the first day of spring. Still leaning over the railing, she tied her hair up in a bun again. It was going to be a warm day.

* * *

Leah felt like dancing around in her bedroom. The sun agreed with her demon, and it affected her mood greatly. Perhaps it was a good thing Angel's quarters were so white and shiny; the sun reflected on them and Leah's bedroom was basically golden now. The orchid she'd acquired from Moriyama was in the only spot in the room the sun couldn't reach; these flowers preffered the coolness of shade.

Leah's mood changed slightly when she remembered what she had to do. She changed into her uniform, which was nothing more than a white button-up and a pencil skirt under her Exorcist coat. Visiting Mephisto was the last thing she wanted to do on a day like that, but she had little choice. The whole investigation on Susanoo was her idea after all and the Grigori hadn't appointed it as Angel's primary focus, so a lot of research had to be done by her.

After she'd told her brother of her intentions the night before, Arthur had decided to come with her. He didn't trust Mephisto, not even a little, and he actually felt offended that the demon king's assistance was required.

The portal he opened led them straight into the Academy's administration building, where a lady was sitting behind the front desk, drinking coffee. Arthur had chosen to leave his winged coat behind, while Leah had chosen to wear a white button-up and a black pencil skirt, lest the secretary kicked them out.

"Can I help you?" She asked groggily.

"We want to see Mr. Faust." Leah said before her brother could even open his mouth. The woman stared at them for a few moments, as if she didn't understand what language they were speaking. Then, she blinked, her words finally sinking in.

"Of course. Sixth floor."

The siblings entered the elevator wordlessly.

"At least we didn't need to make a house call. The climb would kill you." Arthur said, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk.

"I'm not that out of shape." Leah huffed. "Do you think there are buses here that take the students from their dorms and drop them off?" She asked, frankly wondering how hundreds of kids could stand waking up early in order to be in class on time.

"I don't know, Leah." Arthur sighed, knowing she was going to wonder that same thing all day. The elevator came to a halt on the sixth floor, which turned out to be dedicated to Mephisto's office. The man himself was sitting in his desk on the opposite side, his back turned to them. He spun around in his chair when he heard the din.

"Well, if it isn't the Wonder Twins..." He grinned at them, showing his one too many fangs.

"Sir Pheles." Leah was the only one to bow to the man. Arthur stood straight, his shoulders squared and his chin high in defiance.

"I believe you didn't come all this way just to say hello. What can I do for you?" Mephisto asked, folding his hands on the desk. The siblings approached him as he spoke.

"We're doing some investigation on Egyn, actually." Arthur said, probably hoping he could make Mephisto feel uncomfortable. Instead, Mephisto smiled at him.

"Little brother Egyn, huh? He always was a handful, I'll tell you that."

"Do you know where he is?" Leah asked impatiently. She was so close to catching him.

"No." Mephisto said simply and leaned back in his chair as a green hamster clawed it's way from his sleeve to his top hat and rested there. "Egyn wasn't very happy with me leaving Gehenna. We don't talk much."

"He is your brother." Arthur pointed out, his eyes leaving the odd hamster and falling on the demon king again. "Surely you'd know if he was in Assiah?"

"I'm afraid Egyn has always been the least of my worries. I never kept tabs on him."

Arthur was ready to argue, but a well placed nudge from Leah stopped him.

"I see. We're very sorry to disturb you then." She said and turned to leave. Arthur followed reluctantly, glaring at Mephisto and his hamster as he went.

* * *

Amaimon waited for the two Exorcists to leave. As soon as the elevator's doors closed, he almost jumped.

"Brother! What would they want with Egyn?" He asked, craning his tiny head down to look at his elder brother.

"Kill him, probably. I, for one, don't blame them. Do you?" Mephisto inquired.

"No..."

"But?"

"Father wouldn't be very happy."

"They're exorcists, Amaimon. Nothing they do makes Father happy." Mephisto spun his chair again to face the windows and peered down at a group of passing students.

"Do me a favor and have one of your hobgoblins follow our Maira. I do believe our dear brother Egyn had some plans for her." He continued.

Amaimon nodded and jumped off the top hat and onto the desk.

* * *

The Exwires were all huddled together under a tree, wallowing in the cool shade. It felt more like summer than spring and their coats were discarded on the ground; even Maira's jacket.

"I can safely say this is the first time I ever wanted to go to class." Rin said, wrinkling his nose. Izumo glanced at him over her sandwich and raised her eyebrows.

"Really?" He asked doubtfully.

"The old dorm doesn't have air-conditioning." He explained and turned to Bon. "So, are you gonna help me with this algebra test next week or what?"

Bon barely heard him speak though. He was staring at Shima and Maira; he was telling her something and she was giggling, her head leaning on his shoulder. Oddly enough, the pink haired boy hadn't mentioned anything; not even that Mai had spent the night in his room. Bon didn't know what to make of it. Shima wouldn't shut up about her, but suddenly he _forgets_ to say something this important.

"Bon? You okay?" Rin poked him impatiently. Before the half-demon could follow his gaze, Bon blinked and looked away. At least those two hadn't noticed.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Paku exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Her sudden clarity made Izumo almost drop her sandwich and glare at her friend.

"You know how next week we don't have school because of the festival? Well, my family wanted me to go to our beach house for a few days, but my little brother got sick and they can't make it...But I already got the ticket and I can't get refunds." Paku said.

At the mention of the word 'beach', Shima looked up, suddenly aware of the others around him. In a less excited manner, Maira followed his gaze.

"We should all go!" Paku continued.

"Wait a minute-" Izumo tried to protest, but she was cut off by Shima, who almost jumped over Maira to get to Paku.

"Beach house? That's so awesome!" He turned to his two friends. "What do you guys say?"

Bon and Konekomaru glanced at each other in uncertainty. The Exorcist Exams were nearing and the two had been thinking about tutoring Rin. There was no way he could pass the exam on his own, his life depended on it and he didn't look the least bit worried.

"It's just for a few days." Shima pleaded. On the other side of the tree, Maira sighed.

"I guess I could use a tan..."

"But the exams...and Rin...How dare you even think about the beach?!" Bon exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Paku and Shima.

"Well, we could just take our textbooks with us. A little time off wouldn't hurt..." Konekomaru said, considering the idea.

"Traitor..." Bon whined.

"I should ask mother..." Shiemi chimed in.

"Yeah! And we can invite Yukio too!" Rin exclaimed.

Unfortunately, their young teacher was otherwise occupied for the week. He even attempted to keep the Exwires from going, but seven teenagers and a very reluctant Bon could not be stopped by mere words. Although, Yukio's reaction had soured Rin mood a little, but he lit up when another idea came to him.

"What about Godaiin? He can come with us!" Maira shook her head.

"He was just telling us he's going to Europe with his parents. Were you sleeping again?" Her brow furrowed. Bon had instructed her to make a point of poking him every time he fell asleep in class when they first started hanging out, but Maira herself had a short attention span in class.

"Ye- I mean no. Why would I be asleep?" He said with a nervous laugh. Bon gave him the evil eye, but Rin didn't notice him.

"Are your parents gonna be okay with it?" Shima asked Maira. She shrugged.

"I'd be shocked if they noticed I left. Anyway, I'll just tell them I'm going on a field trip...again."

"How many 'field trips' have gone on, exactly?" He asked, smiling.

"I don't think they care to look into it. Besides, they started fighting a lot lately, think they'd want me out of the house for a while." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your parents...they fight a lot?" Shiemi asked. She barely remembered her own father but she remembered hearing them yell when she was too young to understand.

"All the time." Maira waved the discussion off dismissively. She didn't seem uncomfortable, she probably didn't want to think about it.

Shima draped an arm over her shoulder and kissed her temple, trying to sooth her mood. It seemed to work, because her arms dropped back to her sides and looked up at Shima, a ghost of a smile played over her lips.

Once again, Bon had tear his eyes off them. Something just felt so out of place with these two and it was bothering him to no end. But whenever he tried to pinpoint the problem, ever seemed normal. Maybe it was just that Shima never had much luck with girls, despite being the only one with any kind of experience out of the three of them. Trying not to think too much about, he shook his head and glanced at Paku.

"Are you sure there's enough space for all of us? I mean, we're eight people."

"Oh, don't worry about." Paku grinned. "We'll just share rooms."

* * *

Paku's beach house was actually huge. Even better, the beach was barely two minutes on foot from there.

Inside, the place looked just a little smaller than outside, but it was for the better. Paku had declared that the girls share her parents bedroom, while the boys would stay in her brother's bedroom. Originally, Paku wanted to stay in her own room, but it wasn't big enough for four people to sleep in. Her brother's room, on the other hand, had a couch and a lot of empty space for his toys.

Instead of going to the beach, like Renzo was hoping, they'd spent the afternoon cleaning the rooms out and dragging cots from the attic to put in the boys' room. When nightfall came, Rin took it upon himself to cook, while the others were watching TV. Maira had wrapped her arms around Renzo's torso and her head on his shoulder. That way they took up less space on the couch. It was crowded enough that Konekomaru was sitting on the floor cross-legged, looking even younger than he was. Renzo was threading his finger through her hair absently, resting his cheek at the top of her head. It was nice like this. It was nothing like the way she used to spend her nights back in Britain, but there still was that sense of belonging. Something she hadn't felt in a while.

After dinner, they all retreated to their rooms. The girls had all squeezed together in Paku's parents' bed, which was, oddly enough, big for all four of them. Of course, there was the impending danger that either Shiemi or Maira would fall off is they so much as turned. At least Izumo didn't kick in her sleep.

At first, Maira thought that the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore would lead her to sleep straight away. Instead, it filled her with a feeling of foreboding, like hearing a battle in the distance, coming closer and closer. She didn't know how long she had been staring at the ceiling, with Izumo nose buried in her arm, when sleep finally came to her.

_She was sitting on warm sand, she realized. Instead of pajamas, she was wearing a blue swimsuit she hadn't worn in years, it seemed, and her hair only came up to her chin rather than her chest. Undoubtedly, she still had blue highlights in her hair. It was a memory from when she was fourteen, on summer vacation with her cram school class. It didn't take long for her to realize she wasn't alone. right next to her, Nathan was laid back staring at the cloudless sky. He was scowling._

_"What are you doing?" He asked. He was wearing sunglasses, but she was sure he wasn't looking at her._

_"What?"_

_"You're forgetting." He said and propped himself on his elbows. Maira could see his eyes behind the dark lens. Only they weren't there. Where warm brown eyes should, there were empty sockets._

_Maira jumped up, instinctively reaching for her gun only for her fingers to graze against her hip. Nathan followed her, getting up as he didn't know how to walk; he almost fell on her but managed to find his balance. He looked at her behind his shades accusingly. This definitely wasn't a memory._

_"We died for you. And you're forgetting." He continued. Before she could protest, Maira heard a shuffle behind her. Sarita, in her traditional sari, was standing behind her. The colorful fabric was ripped, hanging off her body and revealed maggots clinging to the rotten flesh beneath. Maira tried to scream but no sound came out. Her eyes stung with tears._

_Another figure appeared to her right; a boy with blond hair, no older than twelve. His arms were gone, none too cleanly either. Broken bone peeked under shredded flesh. Then another figure, this one taller and broader. Maira willed herself not to look. She didn't want to see it. Didn't want to see him. Not Logan. Not Dad. Not again._

_"Ungrateful."_

_Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup._

* * *

Maira's body didn't know what it was doing. She shot up from the bed, almost taking Izumo with her, and fell off. Somehow, she didn't make enough noise to wake any of the girls up, but even if she did, she didn't stay in the room long enough. She ran outside and rushed to the restroom.

She spent at least thirty minutes hunched over the toilet bowl. When she was done, her throat stung worse than her eyes did. For a moment, she looked into the mirror. There were no dark circles forming under eyes, but she felt like she hadn't slept in days. Her lower lip was still trembling and her eyes were red and puffy. She tore her gaze off and turned the water on. It was cold. So cold she felt like her skin was being punctured by thousand tiny needles. Regardless, she cupped her hands under the stream and splashed it on her face, hoping to wash some of the bile and tears away.

If only Renzo had his own room in this house, she could at least pretend to sleep for a few more hours. But there was no slipping in in a room with four guys, as some were sleeping on the floor and others on couches. Tiredly, she stumbled downstairs and laid down on the couch. Her cell was on the coffee table beside her, and she picked it up. She thought about calling Leah, but the golden-haired Knight was the last person she could talk to about this dream. She tossed the device back on the wooden surface and stared out of the window. It wasn't even dawn yet.

Like a scared child, she felt like crying out for Renzo. It was absolutely ridiculous, but he was the only one she could talk to.

* * *

**Aaaaand we're finally getting to the good stuff. **

**Okay, just to clarify, Maira joined the Cram School three months after Rin revealed his flames to the other Exwires, which leaves three months 'till the Exorcist Exam. But in this chapter we're a month away.**


	19. Echoes

**Starting next week, I'm going back to posting every Friday. I was hoping to finish Sentinel before my finals start, but I kinda lost track of time. Sorry for the irregular schedule, school's a bitch.**

**UPDATE: Erm...so, a bit of the story somehow got deleted...so I reuploaded the chapter...sorry for any confusions**

* * *

"Did you really think we wouldn't find out?" Izumo said with a frown on her lips and her pretty eyebrows squished together.

Maira was the target of said frown. They found her asleep on the couch and started wondering how she got down there. It turned out that Paku had woken up momentarily, just in time to hear Maira throw up in the other room, but fell asleep right away. So now Maira was squeezed between Renzo and Rin on the couch and the other Exwires were getting ready for an interrogation.

"No. I mean, I didn't mind you finding out." Maira said, running her hand through her hair. Thanks to the nightmare, it was laced with sweat and clung to her forehead. Renzo patted her back encouragingly.

"I just had a really bad nightmare." She continued.

"Enough to make you throw up?" Bon's eyebrows went up. If they went any higher, they'd be over his hairline.

"It was about my class. The other one."

"C'mon!" Bon exclaimed in exasperation.

Maira glared at him. That was her sister's reaction a week after they died. _It's not like they were your family._ Of course she'd find no solace here. Who could understand what that class of Exwires and Pages meant to her? _They _never had to-

"You keep bringing them up, and none of us know anything about it!" Bon continued.

_Oh._ A weight lifted off her shoulders and she relaxed.

"At least, _we _don't." Rin added, pointedly glancing at Renzo, who was still running his hand up and down Maira's back.

"It's okay if you don't want to..." Shiemi chimed in, looking at Maira from under her bangs, as is she might blow up.

"It's fine. It's just...no one ever cared about it. About how I felt." Maira shrugged. She made sure not to look up, lest they saw the tears that were forming.

"It was an ordinary mission, in a small village in the countryside. The place was known to be infested by demons, so much that the Vatican had ordered an evacuation in 1865. They usually sent us to clean the place out, but there were too many demons to go marching into their nests, so we just thinned the population. That one time though, things got really out of hand. I had a fight with my best friend and I went with Leah, just to prove that I didn't wanna be near him." She managed to choke back a sob.

"Leah and I found a nest of Naiads- it was in the fountain in the square of the village- and they started attacking. Out of nowhere, Egyn appeared. He hit me so hard I went through a wall. When I came to, Leah told me to find Logan. So I did. My ears were ringing, but I thought I could hear screams." Maira took a shaky breath. The next part was worse, way worse.

"When I found them...when I found them, another girl in my class was already...she was dead. A Naiad snapped her neck, and I found them just as she was dieing. Logan insisted that we find Leah first. We left the girl there.

"Back in the square, Leah was gone. I was still shaken up, I thought Leah was already dead. I thought we'd find her laying behind a tree...We didn't even have time to react. Egyn grabbed Sarita and... he stabbed her again and again until there wasn't enough of her left. I couldn't react. My hands were frozen- like I couldn't control my body anymore. I watched them all fall, until it was just Logan and me. Egyn tried to grab me like he did Sarita, but Logan puched me out of the way. The tendril caught him in the side, but he managed to drag himself and me behind a building. He gave me his Infinity Key and told me to make a run for it. I still couldn't move. I tried to tell him, but he pushed me away.

"I regained control of my legs, and just as I was turning to leave, I saw it; Egyn was behind Logan and he sent a spike of ice through his neck. It...it sliced right through. Then he looked at me, said nothing and left. I lost control of my body again, only this time I couldn't stop running. I wanted to go back, die with the others. But I couldn't...I couldn't stop."

Any control Maira had over herself was gone. She had nearly doubled over on the couch, shaking uncontrollably and crying. Renzo was holding her, trying to comfort her, but it was no use. She could barely see through the tears, much less hear what the Exwires were saying.

* * *

Maira was on the verge of fainting when Rin carried her back upstairs. He said he laid her down in the girl's room, so she could sleep better. And of course, Shima had followed suit. Bon resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Those two had been upstairs for two hours now, and Bon figured it'd be a good time to barge in; Paku wanted to know if they planned on coming with the others to the beach. If not, they would be stuck with grocery shopping.

The door wasn't completely closed. He only had to put a hand on it to open it by a fraction. Deciding he didn't want to see what he'd seen last week, Bon peeked inside before speaking. Maira and Shima were laying on the bed holding hands like little kids, and just talking. Or at least, Shima was talking.

Maira's eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep; the occasional nod or smile was proof enough. Shima, on the other hand, was looking at her, studying her face. Bon wondered if that was what it was like to be in love. Because, Shima himself might never admit it, but the pink-haired boy was absolutely smitten. There wasn't a moment when he wasn't looking at her when they were together, and even when they weren't, all he did was talk about her.

For someone as unrelated as Bon though, it was annoying. He didn't want to know Maira's favorite movies- at least not from Shima- and he could go without seeing them suck face. Unfortunately, Shima didn't notice and Maira didn't seem to care.

He still felt uneasy when it came to her, despite understanding her position a little better. Something about her was off, little it had been with Rin. But Rin had been revealed to be Satan's son, while Maira had come clean about Sentinel straight away. Then again, if Rin had done that sooner, the Order would have killed him.

Maira cracked one green eye open, and it landed right on him. Bon cleared his throat and fought back a slight blush as he swung the door fully open.

"Paku wants to know if you're coming to the beach or not..." He said.

Maira kept a straight face; she probably hadn't noticed him until she opened her eye. Shima looked up with an annoyed expression though. Like Bon was the one intruding. The expression fled from his face when he turned to her, silently asking her opinion.

"I'd rather stay in for today." She said, then glanced at Shima. "You should go."

"Nah, I'll stay here too."

Bon felt a tiny shock of surprise. In love or no, the Shima he knew couldn't say yes fast enough when it came to the beach. _Then again,_ he told himself, _he's not looking for hot babes anymore._ Not when there's one laying right next to him. Not that Bon thought of Maira as a 'hot babe'. Sure, she was cute, but Shima had abused the term one too many times, and now it seemed demeaning to Bon.

He shook his head in an attempt to stop his inner babble and headed back downstairs. Paku made a list of groceries for them and left it on the counter with some money. They were all ready to go.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Maira declared she was rested enough to go out. Sentinel was brooding, probably irritated at how useless she'd been earlier. Maira decided to leave the spirit alone- as alone as she could be, anyway. Sentinel refused to put more than ten feet between them on any other day, and right now they were too close to Egyn's domain to feel safe.

Renzo shoved the grocery list and the money in his pocket as they left the house. The others were still at the beach, which was literally on the opposite side of the road from the house. Maira tried to see if they were there, but saw no trace of Rin's tail or Bon's hair- which, oddly enough, was the only way Maira could identify them. Renzo weaved his fingers through hers and shot the sea one last nostalgic glance. Maira felt bad that he didn't go because of her. Then again, she hadn't forced him to stay, not with words. Obviously he wouldn't leave her alone after what she said earlier. But she actually did want to sleep and having him talk to her- however softly- didn't help much.

The sky was orange by the time they came out of the supermarket. Paku's list wasn't that big, but apparently the Exwires weren't the only ones visiting their summer houses. The supermarket was so crowded that Maira felt grateful for Renzo's habit of holding her hand; they would have gotten lost in there otherwise.

On the way back they found a bench overlooking the beach. There was still light out, and Renzo was convinced that the others hadn't gone back to the house yet. So they sat down, the grocery bags pooling at their feet. Maira was pretty sure he'd start asking about this morning; he hadn't spared her earlier because she was tired, but now the only escape plan she had was to to kick him off the bench and make a run for it.

Instead, he kept silent, staring at the sunset. He didn't always talk all the time, but something about him seemed off. Like something was bothering him. A cool breeze from the ocean passed, making her shiver. Renzo's gaze shifted from the setting sun and fell on her momentarily. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. If she hadn't spent the better half of the day in bed, Maira could have fallen asleep right there. He weaved his fingers through her hair, turning back to the horizon. Maira had nuzzled her head in her shoulder, and suddenly realised how much shorter she was; she barely came up to his nose. After a few moments of silence, she finally worked up the courage to ask him.

"What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Renzo had been lost in thought, and turned to look down at her with a small, sheepish smile. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

Maira didn't want to nag him any further, but she wasn't sure he was just _thinking_. The last time she's seen him look this troubled was right before he kissed her the first time, but that was because he'd been afraid of rejection. Her brow furrowed.

"Seriously, it's nothing." Renzo repeated.

"Doesn't look like nothing." She argued and pulled away to look at him. He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's just that...do I remind you of Nathan?"

Maira's eyebrow nearly reached her hairline.

"Nathan? No." She shook her head. "His hair was less...pink." He frowned, staring hard at the ocean.

"Look, Nathan was like a brother to me, like Bon is to you. I wouldn't try to replace him with you." She explained, wringing her hands together. For a moment, he didn't seem convinced, but his expression fleeted before she could continue.

"Okay...It's just...You didn't seem to like me at all when we first met and suddenly..."

"I didn't know what to make of you. And frankly, I was too caught up in myself that I didn't really bother with any of you. I guess, all I needed was a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yeah. I mean, I only started opening up to you because you weren't hitting on me anymore. And no, I wasn't planning on any of _this_," she gestured to the space between them, "but here we are."

Renzo nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

* * *

Lightning felt his eyelids grow heavy. The only light in the room was that of his laptop screen, and his nose was almost touching it. A mighty yawn escaped him as he sat straight. As Angel's right-hand man, and the only one with enough computer knowledge, he'd been tasked with looking into the newer Illuminati rumors.

The Illuminati had been a resurfacing problem for quite a few years before he joined the Order. There was a list of groups and people who were suspected to be affiliated with them but the larger, secretive group had never caused enough trouble to have it looked into. So now, with the hushed whispers of a move against the Order, the only thing Lewin could do was collect decades old gossip and speculate.

Hacking into some of the listed people's private e-mail hadn't yielded much either. If the Illuminati had a way of contacting them, it wasn't electronic. Angel wouldn't be very happy with him, but Lewin might actually need to start stealing letters. On the other hand, he could just have Leah distract him so that Lewin could go about his investigation without the blond man's nags about how 'low he had to stoop', or how 'they could just bring the suspects in for questioning'.

In the middle of his musing, the laptop screen lit up again, with a single message:

"_Try not to interfere."_

* * *

**Okay so the fact that writing romance makes me feel awkward as all hell made me forgo explaining Maira's past and how she ended up with Shima. I literally sprung the dating thing without any explanation. And because I couldn't squeeze anywhere in the earlier chapters, here's why they are together...at least from her point of view.**

**Aaaand, I don't trust Lewin. Didn't trust him during the beginning of the arc, certainly don't trust now (chapter 66 anyone?). Anyhow, I'm going to develop his sidestory slowly (and painfully), but that's not important right now.**

**And also, the Illuminati Arc is nearing and so is my masterpiece. My masterpiece being a load of drama and blood. And demons! And then some more drama, because I can't get enough of it.**


	20. When Sorry Doesn't Cut It

Bon swore he was actually worried for Rin.

The raven haired boy was laying on his stomach in the living room, notebooks and papers sprawled around him. He had, albeit messily, stashed the finished homework to his left side, and it was awe inspiring how bigger it was that the right pile. Bon only had to give him a few tips and some of his own notes to bring the academic side out of Rin. Perhaps there was some similarity between him and his twin after all. Or maybe it was the fact that Rin's life literally depended on whether or not he passed the Exorcist exam.

It was the third day of their little week off school which meant that, by the time they got back, Rin would get at least a 60 out of 100, which was what he needed to pass. At least one thing was looking up; Shima was being uncharacteristically quiet and reserved. At first Bon thought he and Mai had argued about something, but the sparkle in his eyes always reappeared when she walked into the room or when she spoke. Bon had been meaning to talk to him, see if his friend was alright, but there was never a good enough time. Either he was talking to her, or he was waiting for her like a lost puppy. It was still unsettling, but Bon had decided that he'd never stop feeling that way. On the other hand, a love-struck Shima was better than his regular counterpart; Maira was tedious about her homework, and it was starting to rub off on him.

Right now, Shima was sitting on the window seat, pressing his forehead against the glass. The girls had left earlier. Shopping therapy, Paku had declared. Something his friend seemed off. He wasn't waiting for Maira to come back. Bon could see his reflection on the window, and his usually warm, brown eyes were dark and blank. Even his mouth had become a hard line and Bon swore that he looked older than even Juuzo.

He decided to leave Rin to it. The last time he'd asked for help was about half an hour ago, so right now was a perfect time to confront Shima. The pink haired teen jumped when Bon put his hand on his shoulder. His pupils shifted, focusing on Bon.

"Something wrong?" Bon took a seat next to him on the colorfull cushions.

"Not really." Shima's voice was coarse and he had to clear his throat. "Just a little under the weather."

"Been that way since yesterday. And the day before that." Bon pointed out. Shima's lower lip quivered and he cast a quick glance towards Rin, who was oblivious to the world around him.

"Is it Maira?" Bon pressed.

"Ye- No. It's not her fault."

"So you did fight."

"We didn't. There's just something I need to tell her and I don't know how." Shima looked out the window again, probably evading his friend's stare.

"Just tell her. What's the worse that could happen?" Bon didn't see what the deal was. It was obvious that Shima was- finally- aware of his feelings toward Maira, and Bon doubted hers were any different. Shima didn't seem to think so; he spun his head so fast, his spine creaked loudly. His eyes were the size of saucers, like Bon had just told him that Koneko was running along the beach naked.

"It's not that simple! I mean-"

"Maira has her problems." Bon nodded. "But if you were adding to them, she'd have thrown you out the window a long time ago. Just tell her. She deserves to know."

"And if she doesn't accept it? What if she's mad at me?" Shima actually looked _scared_ at the prospect. Bon's eyebrow went up.

"I don't think she can ever get mad at you. You can get away with anything."

* * *

_"This kid...do you get any _vibes_ from her?" Logan asked, crossing his arms over his chest. They were sitting on a bench, pretending to be an oblivious couple while Maira and her sister were playing in the park._

_"Her demon has an aura. Anyone with the temptaint can see it." Leah answered with a shrug. She still wasn't sure how they would look like a couple- Logan was well past his thirties and she was barely seventeen yet. But, no one paid them any mind._

_"Not of demonic nature..." He cleared his throat as an actual couple passed by. He let his gaze follow them briefly, before going back to staring at the girl in question. Leah did the same, a pout forming on her lips._

_"She's a bit...unbalanced? I don't know. Something you don't see in many seven year olds." He continued. He was now looking hard at Leah, trying to make her see it._

_"She's a kid. Not a monster."_

Leah's hand hovered over her training sword. Angel stood at the other side of the room, dragging the iron blade on the floor behind him as he went. He'd knocked the sword out of Leah's hand a couple of seconds ago, and she was taking her sweet time retrieving it.

"I'd have killed you in a real battle." He pointed out. Like Leah, his hair was up in a ponytail, that had gotten messy and sweaty over the few hours of training. She looked back at him blankly.

"I don't use actual swords in real fights. And the handle on Aegis is hard to lose." Arthur let out a 'hmph' and pointed the dulled tip of his sword at her.

"Just pick it up so we can get this over with. The Illuminati aren't going to wait for you."

"But I don't plan on getting back at '_chancelloring_'. It's boring and even the Grigori don't want me back." She complained. She knew she sounded like a petulant child, but really, that was the truth. Her performance during the fight with Egyn had been deemed horrific by the three Sages, and they had 'mutually' agreed it would be best if she took some time off. She was, thank God, still allowed to take small jobs, like the one with Gorgons.

The circumstances however, and her own investigation on Egyn had gotten in the way of her training regime. So now, according to her brother at least, she was a floppy sack of flour. Leah inwardly roller her eyes at the remark.

"Angel?" Lewin, the slimy bastard, poked his head in the room. He had an almost manic grin on his face which, just like with anything related to him, made her cringe.

"What is it?"

"I got us a new lead on the Illuminati. Might wanna come take a look." Angel shot one look over to his sister, a clear warning that 'this isn't over yet'. She shrugged and returned the iron sword back to it's rack. She could really use a shower.

* * *

Maira stared at the sand as she walked behind Renzo. He was basically dragging her along the shore and his grip on her hand was stiff. He'd been...melancholic for quite some time now, and things seemed to be boiling over. He looked at her over his shoulder and smiled, as if grateful she was still there. His brow, however, was furrowed so much that wrinkled were starting to appear.

"I think we've walked enough." Maira said sternly, stopping dead in her tracks. Renzo was pulled back and forced to turn to her. He gulped, slightly intimidated at her tiny outburst.

"I don't want you to be mad at me." He said. Maira sighed.

"I'm not mad at you. I thought you were mad at _me._" She admitted. Compared to how he'd been treating her these last two months, today had felt like he was avoiding her. She had assumed it was because of their talk the day before.

Tenderly, he touched her cheek, forcing her to look up at him.

"I'm _not_ angry. There's just...something I've been meaning to tell you." He took a deep, shaky breath and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again.

It was Maira turn to furrow her brow. He was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"I...I think I love you." He finally managed.

Maira felt hot and cold at the same time. To top it off, a small voice in the back of her head was telling her to make a run for it. This was too awkward for her. Renzo looked at his feet in a failed attempt to hide his blush. For a few agonizing moments, the only sound was that of waves crashing against the sand.

She tried to find something to say, a proper way to reply. Finally, she opened her mouth:

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**I've been avoiding this moment for way too long...well, one chapter really. This was supposed to be their conversation in chapter 19, but I couldn't handle it. Instead, I had them talk about Nathan. Which, in fact kinda helped; Maira basically encouraged him to say 'I love you' by not comparing him to her dead best friend.**

**And short chapter. But really, I could only avoid this scene for so long. Can't add more Bon P.O.V because reasons (let's make him suffer a little longer, eh?).**

**Also, Leah. My sweet, fiery, blond tool. I'm gonna have such a good time with this arc. Everyone else? Not so much...**


	21. Turn Tail and Run

The area outside the walled off concert was crowded with students. Everyone without a date was dancing to what little music could be heard, while everyone lucky enough was inside. Oddly enough, there were more people outside.

Maira could only guess it was because of the food stands. Her class in particular had the most customers, thanks to Rin's cooking and the fact that he had talked her into a frilly skirt to serve them. Izumo was supposed to swing by and help out, but so far they'd seen no hair or hide.

"How come _you_ came anyway?" Rin asked at some point, while he was frying a fish.

"It was either that or staying home watching chick flicks with my sis." Maira shrugged.

"Your sister's here?" He asked absent-mindedly.

"Uhuh. The blond one." She jabbed her pen towards the bench Felix had claimed. Felix was the kind of college student who was acting like neither a student or a twenty year old. And she had decided to take time off college to visit her family in Japan.

Rin looked over his shoulder. "I thought you were going to the concert with Shima."

Maira involuntarily cringed. After they got back from Paku's summer home, he hadn't so much as uttered a single word to her. Not that in between confessing her and returning to school they had talked much. She was embarrassed to say the least. Renzo was nothing like Nathan, yet they did have one thing in common. And, of course, Maira just had to say something conceited and stupid like 'sorry'. She kept telling herself that it was going to be alright, that she would find an opportunity to explain herself to him.

But that didn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

"Uh, Mai?" Rin snapped her back to reality.

"Sorry...I'm not feeling very well..." From the look on his face, he knew. Of course he did. Despite Maira's wishes, it was pretty damn obvious that there a rift between her and Renzo, and everyone around had noticed.

Before he said anything else, Godaiin entered the kitchen-like area, unknowingly saving Maira from a very uncomfortable situation.

"Okay, go find Moriyama." He said- no, _demanded. _He sounded like he had had enough of Rin for one night.

"What?"

"C'mon you've been mopping all day. Besides, she didn't find a date either, did she?" Godaiin explained.

Was he? Mopping all day, that is. Maira hadn't noticed. Actually, she was pretty sure she hadn't noticed anything during this week alone, what with her sister added to the ever-long list of problems.

"But, don't you ne-"

"No. Now get out."

That was all it took for Rin to almost fly out of the food stand, shoving his apron and spatula into Maira as he went. When he was out of earshot, Godaiin sighed in relief.

"Good God, he was killing me."

* * *

The concert was still going two hours later. By that time, most of the people outside had dispersed, and so the clientele of their food stand had been restricted to a few people going from point A to point B.

For better or worse, Felix had wandered off as well, completely forgetting to tip off Maira. So now she was wasting time looking for her blond idiot of a sister and utterly failing. She was a blond, European, twenty year old for crying out loud! You'd think that finding her would be easy, but nooo; Maira had to spent three hours worrying for her first, and then she'd probably turn up at a bar or something.

"Hey." Bon nodded to her when she almost bulldozed over him, already reciting the angry speech Felix would be getting later.

"Hi..." Momentarily, she braced herself for the inevitable; Renzo. Only he wasn't there.

"Wh-where _is_ everyone?"

Bon shrugged. "Koneko somehow got a date to the concert and Shima's..." He stopped and looked at her for a second. "He decided not to come."

Unfortunately for him, Maira had years of training in read people's movements and body language, and his lie wasn't lost on her.

On the other hand, she didn't exactly have time to feel bad about Shima going to the concert with someone else.

"Right...What about you? I'm guessing that ear-piece isn't for sweet talking." She pointed out, trying to evade the whole Renzo thing.

To her vast relief, Bon smirked obviously aware of her intentions and eager to oblige. "I'm just helping Okumura and Kirigakure out. They think something's going down tonight and want to keep everyone safe."

"'Something'..."

"Don't know what, but-" The ear-piece came alive, the only sound Maira could hear being a soft buzz. Bon's brows knitted together as he turned away to speak. Well, more like listen.

"Ok- Right. Yeah she's here. No, I- Okay. Yes."

"Maira, do you have your guns with you?" He asked.

"No...Should I run back home and get them?"

"No time for that. Something happened to Izumo."

* * *

Her heart dropped. Actually, it was beating like crazy and Maira was pretty sure she was gonna have a heart attack soon, but that was the last thing she cared about. She watched, completely helpless, as Renzo climbed into a helicopter with Izumo thrown over his shoulder. She was unconscious, as far as she could see. Inside the helicopter was a woman she would recognize anywhere.

Logan's...

Before she could even remember her name, a burst of light blinded her. Her eyes well already brimming with tears, even more so now that she was trying to adjust to the bright light. All she could make out was shapes; Bon standing next to her, holding his breath, an eagle.

No. Not an eagle. A Seraphim. It looked like a giant bird with golden feathers, and eyes littering it's body here and there. Just what the Hell was going on?

"_Greetings, everyone._" The Seraphim spoke.

"_Please forgive me for delivering my message in such a forceful manner._" Another beam of light struck down the area below the demon and as it faded, it revealed a man in an owl mask.

"I am the leader of the Illuminati, the King of Light Lucifer." He announced with a flourish.

Maira realized two things. One, he was standing between the Exwires and the helicopter, which hadn't taken off yet. And two, Mephisto had appeared with a poof in front of her.

"Don't tell me _this_ is the big event they've been preparing for..." He grumbled, walking towards Lucifer casually.

"The mask looks good on you, older brother." Mephisto did a flourish of his own.

"Samael, you're as lively as ever, I see." Lucifer acknowledged him. Then, he turned to where Shura stood, but he didn't seem to be looking at her.

"We, the Illuminati, have come to declare war on the True Cross Order! In one year, we will revive the god of demons, Satan!" He declared.

The air around Maira seemed thicker than usual, and she was starting to have trouble breathing normally. Sentinel was keeping strangely still, as if she were afraid.

"We will then unify Assiah and Gehenna, and the world will return to it's original state. In doing so, the world will truly be peaceful."

He turned to Mephisto again. "We will still welcome you, brother."

Maira could only see his back, but something told her he was seething with anger.

"That's impossible."

As he said those words, the air got heavier and thicker, until Maira couldn't breathe at all. The world around her got darker and darker until all she could see was Mephisto's coat. And yet, something beckoned her to look further, into the helicopter. Shima was watching the exchange with a wide grin, while _she_ was standing over him, looking right at her with a smirk of her own.

_Eva..._

* * *

***Sigh*...Okay, I'm completely underwhelmed by how this turned out. And to think I've been working on it for a week. **

**Okay, this all completely from Maira's P.O.V (obviously), and her failed attempts at justifying her reaction in the previous chapter. I don't know about you guys, but my finals are literally next week, and I'm stressed to hell. Writing about Maira's issues does not help as much as I thought. **

**But hey, next chapter's gonna be...well, better, hope. Answers will be given, questions like 'Wtf is wrong with this author' will be created and generally, DRAMA.**

**Er...just a side note, the lady with the dark hair and the stripe is NOT in this story. Instead she is replaced by Eva. Um...you'll see why...and probably want to hit me...oh well.**


	22. Old Friends

It hadn't taken Maira five minutes of consciousness to recall what happened.

Sentinel had -accidentaly- almost killed her. By staying still, that is. Apparently, air elementals like Sentinel also governed the intake of oxygen, and she had something of a panic attack when Lucifer appeared. Like an animal, Leah thought. Helpless rabbits stayed still and waited for the predetor to leave empty-handed. _Prey waits_.

Maira wasn't much better herself. She recounted the events with ease, but something seemed...off. Like she hadn't yet realized what had happened.

And then there was Eva.

To her expense, Maira's classmates were there and they had jumped right on her when she mentioned the damned woman.

"Eva Castillo," She said as calmly as she could, "is Logan's daughter. She left the Order about eight years ago, but we didn't know it was to join the Illuminati."

"Logan had a daughter...who's Logan?" Okumura asked, clearly distraught. Of course he would be; one of his friends revealed himself to be a spy while another of his classmates was kidnapped by said spy. And then Lucifer waged war on everyone.

"Logan? My teacher?" Maira answered, slightly annoyed.

"Oh right...wait, I thought _you_ and he were-" He pointed at Leah, his eyebrows raised. To her great dismay, everyone seemed to think the same thing.

"Ew no. He was way too old for me."

Maira laughed bitterly. "Logan was more like her father-in-law."

"What, he had a son too?" Suguro asked, scrunching his nose as he looked at her. For a bunch of sixteen year olds, they all made her feel really small- all six feet of her.

"Erm, no." Maira said before Leah could stop her.

"But you said- oh!" Okumura's face lit up as realization dawned on him.

"Yes. Now keep it to yourself. All of you."

Maira didn't react. Didn't joke about Leah being defensive or anything.

"About Shima..." Suguro started, obviously speaking to Maira. Again, she didn't react. She just sat and listened, as if the pink haired boy didn't interest her at all.

"We might...have to encounter him at some point. Do you think...?"

"He's the enemy." She said simply. "If I do see him, I have to kill him."

While everyone else gaped at her, Suguro turned to her with pleading eyes.

* * *

"She can't come with us." He reasoned later, when everyone had left the infirmary.

"Because you're not sure if you want him dead?"

"I definitely don't want to see it. But Shima wouldn't just up and leave her like that. And she wouldn't change her mind about him on a wim. Maybe she's just in denial, but we can't risk the mission by letting her in."

"Why not? Leave her, I mean. Since he's a spy, it could have easily been a false front. No one would suspect him of anything if he had his tongue in her mouth all this time."

Suguro cringed visibly.

"Yeah, well, your ex-girlfriend's in there too."

"I wouldn't kill her. Not because she used to be important to me, but because she likely has crucial intel."

"So you would torture her? For the Order?"

"_I'm_ not gonna be the one dropping bodies. And you're right, Maira cannot be allowed to come with you. This isn't the first time she... deals with pain like this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Look, Maira comes from a family with a lot of problems. Violence was her way of blowing off steam. She always went back to it when Logan wasn't around. She has all this anger pent up inside her and it makes her emotionally unstable." Leah explained.

"When Logan was around to calm her down, it was easy. Now...now she's not reliable enough to even become an Exorcist."

The room was empty and quiet, but Maira waited a few more moments before getting out of bed. She searched the pockets in Logan's coat and felt a rush of nostalgia as her fingers wrapped around the cool metal.

_Time for a visit._

Vivian had changed a lot since last year. Her once stark black hair no had shocks of grey in it, and her cheeks were sunken in, making her look way older than she really was. Losing two children must have been more than she could handle. Still, she managed a small smile when Maira entered the near empty cafe.

After all, Vivian had almost raised Maira along with her son. A plung of guilt tugged at her heartstrings at the sight; in a way, it was Maira's fault Nathan was dead. Even worse, Vivian was pregnant when he died and now she only had her husband. A mother with no children.

And yet, deep in her brown eyes, Maira recognized something comforting. For all the pain and misery she was going through, the older woman's eyes were still glinting with ferocity, the only feature Nathan hadn't gotten from his mother. Vivian was an Exorcist who, much like the families of the other deceased Exwires, had been forced to resign.

"Sit down. Have a cup of coffee." Vivian beckoned. Maira obliged, suddenly feeling nervous.

"I can't stay for long, Viv." She admitted, avoiding the woman's gaze. it felt like, if she didn't, Vivian's eyes would make her stay and she couldn't afford it.

"I know. Why else would you want me to bring these?" She nudged a large suitcase that was resting against the legs of her chair with her foot.

"You're not doing anything dangerous, are you?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"You know me." Maira grinned. "I _cause_ the danger."

* * *

Between the jet lag, the bitter aftertaste of Shiemi's sandwiches and the hustle and bustle of the town, Bon was ready to pass out. Or have a very bad case of migraines. Either was just as bad, given the situation.

They had, successfully, left Maira behind without her ever knowing. Leah promised to keep her busy while they were gone; how she was going to do that, Bon didn't even want to wonder. Hopefully they would be able to find and rescue Izumo before Maira caught wind of this. Or at least, tried to follow. Bon thought about what leah had told him over and over again. It did make some sense to him; Maira never exactly felt right to him. When they were trapping the changelings two months back, she had that look about her... Like she was another person entirely. At the time she was reserved in front of them though, and it hadn't surprised him. After getting to know her though, that look was something she didn't wear- ever.

"Has anyone seen Takara?" Yukio asked at some point.

Bon looked to the back of the group, where the older boy usually hung, but he wasn't there. Before he could even wonder how the hell they'd lost him, he realised that it was _Takara_. That bastard was too quiet and lonely for his own good.

"Uh guys? Is that...?" Rin pointed towards the distance. Takara was running up to them, holding...a child?

"Wha- Wher- What?!" Yukio looked back and forth between Takara and what turned out to be a puppet. A very big puppet. And judging by the look of absolute horror Yukio got when he was given the receipt, a very expensive puppet.

Which started talking. And, while it did sound familiar, it wasn't Takara's voice- well, the one he used when he did the ventriloquism thing of his.

The puppet, or at least the spirit that was possesing it, turned out to be one of Izumo's familiars. It recounted the events of her early life, including her mother's decline into insanity and her being contacted by the Illuminati.

To be honest, it did explain quite a few things about her. Keeping her distance from the others, the attitude...it was beginning to make sense to Bon.

"Wait, why-" Rin began to ask.

"The girl is summoning me." The puppet/ spirit announced. With rushed goodbyes, it left the vessel, and the Exwires now had to deal with finding their kidnapped friend.

_Oh joy._

* * *

By the time she got there, the 'mall' was overrun by zombies and the other Exwires were nowhere to be found. Maira grimaced.

Judging by the sheer amount of them, fighting her way through wasn't a sane option. At least she had been smart enough to climb in through a window and the zombies didn't care for anything that wasn't on the ground.

She whispered a command to Sentinel and immediately felt a shift in the air around as the spirit focused on her feet. She could wander around on the metal rafters with ease, but with Sentinel making her lightfooted, it was easier to not alert any human guards.

It felt like hours before a loud noise almost made her jump off the rafters. It sounded like an explosion, and the ground beneat her started trembling. Dismayed, the zombies bumped into each other, trying to figure out where the noise came from. Maira clutched onto the metal, trying not to plummet to her death.

After a year of carrying only her twin revolvers, she felt loaded. While they were still strapped to her waist, her shotgun- the one that Vivian was keeping- was on her back along with her newly acquired sniper rifle, that she may or may not have stolen from Angel's training room, that the Infinity Key may or may not have access to.

Explaining this situation later would be fun.

Carefully, she crept along the rafters, following whichever zombie seemed more keen of ears. Finding the source of the explosion was easy, mostly because it had left a giant smoking hole in the ground. And before she could figure out a way to get down and investigate without becoming a zombie's snack, Koneko appeared on a mega-sized Kuro. She couldn't hear him clearly, but Koneko seemed to be thanking the demon cat.

Somehow, none of the zombies came to investigate. Actually, the one zombie that was lurking about scurried away, limping as it went. With another whispered command, Maira jumped off.

She landed a good distance away from Kuro and Konekomaru, but the sound her shotgun touching the floor alerted them. Konekomaru looked back and forth between her and Kuro, with a horrified expression.

"M-maira..." He stuttered. "Why are you here?"

Why was she there? Helping them out wasn't the first thing that had come to mind. She had Sentinel eavesdrop on Yukio and Bon after they visited her at the infirmary, and that was the only reason she knew of their plans. But she wasn't there for them, not really. Irritably, she shushed the small part of her that told her she was there for him. No. He was a traitor. She just wanted to save Izumo.

For all the tirades and the mean remarks, it had been easy to like her. She didn't put her nose in other people's bussiness and, try as she might to hide it, she actually cared about her classmates. After dealing with people like that her entire life, it was easy for Maira to understand; Izumo wanted to talk, but she couldn't.

"For the same reason as you." She answered after a few moments of silence. Konekomaru gave her a semi-judging look. She was a walking arsenal after all.

"Ah, Miwa there you are." Yukio said as he climbed through the gaping hole. He froze when he saw her, but pushed it aside.

"Are you here to help?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll need all the help we can get."


	23. Monster, monster, safe and sound

Yukio sighed in relief as Maira turned the corner.

She shouldn't have come here. Thankfully, they could still use her help, without her ever seeing Shima, should he still be in the building. The zombies inside the fake mall were still a threat and there were the disfigured atrocities below to worry about. So, he had her find a way to trap the zombies.

He didn't expect it to be easy, much less safe. But she had managed to find them without even alerting one zombie, so she should be fine. He _hoped_. All he could do really was trust in Leah's belief in the girl and pray they didn't find her half-eaten.

* * *

"_Climbing out the backdoor, didn't leave a mark_." She hummed.

"_Found another victim but no one's gonna find miss Jackson_."

She pulled hard. The zombie's head rolled off, it's jaws still trying to bite into her flesh. AT least the rest of it's body was dead. Or palalyzed, at least. Maira wasn't an expert in zombies and ghouls, but she knew that these ones weren't quite normal. This one in particular had given hell.

She tried shooting at it's head, but all that did was leave a nice, big hole in it's forehead. It was all alone though and none of it's friends had heard the gunshot. Or the series of profanities Maira was throwing at it while trying to behead it with bare arms. It splatter a lot of blood, but Logan's jacket had acquired itself a new hole in it's right sleeve, which was what had launched Maira into a rage.

Even with Sentinel, taking them all out individually was impossible. Or it was, but she'd have to say goodbye to her clothes and possibly large quantities of her skin. Then again, she thought, they didn't spawn out of nowhere. Someone must've let them out their cages or whatever when the others came in. Naturally, the Illuminati was keeping them somewhere and if Maira could find it, she could try to put them all back in. And the sooner she did, the sooner she would be able to join up with the others.

"Chrysalis."

With a whoosh of air, Sentinel appeared next to her. This time Maira didn't marvel in the spirit's beauty. Instead, they moved on to the next room, crouching lowly and moving slowly so the zombies didn't notice them. Of course, Sentinel could still conceal them somewhat, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

* * *

"Ma'm, we have another one."

"What is it now?!" Eva felt beyond irritated. Those pesky Exwires had come in to 'rescue' their friends just a little while ago. And at such a crucial time too! That freak Geduin was lurking in his lab somewhere, preparing for the... transaction.

She turned to the operator and peeked at the monitor over his shoulder. A small smirk made it's way onto her lips.

"Now, where's our little spy?"

"Ma'm?"

"Never mind, I'll go take care of it myself."

* * *

If there was ever a time when Maira felt unsure about pulling the trigger after aiming, that was it.

The first, and only, time she met Eva was at Logan's funeral. Along with Angel, Maira just didn't get how the two people she cared about the most could be related to such big chunks of ice. She disliked Eva even more than the paladin though. Maybe it was just envy; Eva had gotten to grow up with Logan and call him dad while Maira was stuck with a cheating pig of a father.

Nevertheless, the reason she had met the woman once was because Eva had cut off all ties before Logan found her. She quit the order, broke up with Leah and even stopped talking to her dad. And now, here she was standing in front of her with a sneer.

"Y'know, when I first saw you, all you could hope to be was dead." She stated in mock pity. "All your little friends dead, and you were the only one left, all alone. Not that you seem any different now. Still the same thing my father saw in you. A weapon."

Eva was tall and lean, with wavy red hair and green eyes; she looked nothing like Logan. So why was Maira feeling so compelled to listen to her? Logan was like a dad to her, he would never use her as a weapon.

"What are you doing here anyway? Looking for your boyfriend?"

Maira couldn't handle it anymore. She pulled the trigger. At the same time, Sentinel lashed out with her lantern carefully dancing around the bullet before striking at the red head. And, as that happened, Eva pulled out a golden stick from her jacket and pressed a button. Strips of golden metal sprung out, forming a broadsword that put Angel's Caliburn to shame.

With it's flat side, Eva struck both the spirit and the bullet, sending the smoking shell to the ground and making Sentinel's form dissipate. She was fine of course, but chrysalis took a bit out of both of them. All Maira could rely on now was her aura and her arsenal.

At the very least, this section of the mall was closed off and no zombies were within gunfire-hearing-range. Unfortunately, aiming handguns, switching to shotguns and reloading was kinda hard when the target came slashing at you with a sword almost twice your size. And thanks to the amount of weapons she was carrying, mobility was a thing Maira didn't possess.

Eva had a manic grin on her face, and every time she came close to splitting Maira in half, it seemed to grow. She hadn't known the woman's mother, but she guessed she got the crazy from her. Logan was a cool and grounded, even in his last moments. Maybe he had tricked himself into thinking he would also survive this. Or maybe he didn't want to...

"You know," Eva breathed as her blade clashed against Maira's shotgun. "You're the talk of the Order right now. They've even left that Okumura kid alone. Guess they see you for what you really are."

"And that would be...?" Last thing Maira wanted to make small talk with woman trying to murder her. But she as curious as she was desperate.

Eva flashed her a smile that was too bright. "A monster."

_She slammed the door closed and it didn't take five seconds for them to start yelling again. She didn't get it. If they loved each other, why were they always fighting? Why did they need to hurt each other so much._

_She slid against the door until she was sitting down and pulled her knees to her chest. She just wished Logan would be pick her up already. Felix abandonned whatever she was doing and came to sit down next to her._

_"They weren't always like this." She murmured sadly. Maira couldn't remember a time when their parents weren't at each other's throats._

_"Well, they are like this now." She argued stubbornly._

_"And that's their problem." Felix nodded. "Sometimes you just...gotta go away inside."_

Maira allowed herself a second to close her eyes and take a breath. Eva might have been calling a weapon, but her apparent glee at spilling blood made her look like even more of a monster. And Maira couldn't allow herself to be at the mercy of her words. She had to be stronger than that. She had to _go away inside_.

It was like watching a blurry film. Everything was happening to fast for her to register and she couldn't control anything. Her body moved on it's own, and the sound of metal on metal was a distant echo. Maira felt safe. It was like there was a war going on outside, but she was safe inside herself, untouched by what was happening. She didn't even try to take back control of her body. This was better. Safer.

She was winning. She did know how, since Eva's choice of weapon and experience certainly tipped the battle in her favor, but Maira was winning. She had at some point seized the broadsword from Eva and knocked her down. As she lifted the heavy blade over her head, Sentinel started whirling around her body, anxious.

_Stopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopit_

_STOP_

Her grip on the went flax as Maira's conscious was thrust back inside her body. She gasped, feeling disoriented. The sword fell to the ground with a clatter and Eva scrambled away. Maira was's really sure, but there seemed to be a long and deep cut across the red-head's arm.

It was too much. Her head felt heavy, her vision was swimming and she felt exhausted. As darkness started creeping in her vision, she heard Eva's distorted laugh and a whisper too close to her ears for comfort.

"_Monster_."

* * *

Bon stood by Izumo's side, watching her sob over her mother's body. The battle was won but he had never felt so helpless before in his life. A part of him would never forgive himself for today. So many people he couldn't even hope to save, and another he could have but didn't. And on top of that, Shima was still in the facility. Still a traitor.

A dark glow surrounded Geduin's disgusting remains. They floated up, up and towards a hole Rin made with his flames earlier. And there he stood, with a knowing smirk.

"Shima...?" He still wasn't entirely sure. He had grown up with him for crying out loud! How could he have missed the part where Shima is so fed up with everyone around him he goes rogue?

"The captain's gonna be so pissed..." Shima mumbled as the glowing remains came to float next to him.

Bon skull rattled as something exploded behind him. As a reflex, he covered Izumo with his body, trying to save her from the fire. Only problem was, there was no fire. He looked behind him in horror, to see Maira with her shotgun aimed to where Shima was standing. Just like everyone else, he turned back to Shima.

The wall right next to her head had a new, way smaller hole in it. From Maira's shotgun. Shima himself had suddenly lost all his cool. He was pale, and while he hadn't turned to his to look at either the hole or Maira, he looked terrified.

Bon found himself rapidly switching from Maira to Shima, expecting something to happen. But nothing did. Shima stared at her for a few seconds with a pained expression before turning around to leave via the huge hole. When he looked back at Maira, she had lowered the gun but her face was empty. Not hard and determined, or even sad and teary. Just...empty.

Like she wasn't really there.

* * *

**Well, she _did_ try to kill him. And ended up scaring everyone shitless, might I say. **

**Anyway, song is 'Miss Jackson' by Panic!At the Disco.**


	24. Confronted

The trip to Kyoto was as awkward as it was tiring.

Izumo pretended like she hadn't shed a single tear despite her puffy red eyes, Bon struggled to find a way out of telling Juuzo and Kinzo that their brother was a traitor and Maira was completely unapproachable.

After the Kyoto branch found them, -how they found them, Bon didn't want to know- they loaded them in short busesand decided to take them straight to Kyoto instead of HQ. They needed time to get things straight before reporting to the Grigori about them after all. Maira had taken over the back of the bus, curled against the window and tracing her Mark. Bon had been used to seeing her do that whenever Shima wasn't around to hold her hand, but this time her eyes were dull. Usually she was deep in thought when she did that too, but her eyes were dull and, as far as he could see, she wasn't frowning like she did when she was thinking. For a second, she looked up and their gazes met. Bon felt like his spine turned to ice. No, her eyes weren't empty. They seemed dark and the look she gave him was almost murderous.

"-Bon? Are you listening?" Kinzo poked him a few times before turning to look at Maira. She had gone back to looking outside the window again, tracing her wrist with her finger.

"Who's that?"

Bon turned to the bottle-blond man with his mouth slightly open. Shima hadn't told them about her? He was always going on and on to him and Koneko, but he hadn't told his own brothers?

"She...she's Shima's girlfriend." He stuttered. Something seemed to click in Kinzo's eyes.

"Renzo has a grirlfriend? _Her_?"

Maybe Song was right, Bon thought. Maybe he _was_ using Mai as a false front. If he was planning to leave her like that, his family would likely never need to know.

"She kinda scares me..." Kinzo commented. "But then again, so does Mom. And Mamushi. How come Renzo didn't tag along?"

Bon shrugged, hoping Kinzo wouldn't see through his lie. "It's been a long day. I think i'm gonna go to sleep." He said and before Kinzo could protest, he turned away and closed his eyes.

* * *

It was way past midnight when they reached Kyoto. Shiemi went with Izumo to the infirmary as soon as they got off the bus, while the others carried Izumo's mom to another room so they could prepare her for a funeral. Izumo mumbled something about cremation, but no one really felt like talking about it at the time. To Bon's great dismay- and surprise- he and Mai were called to attend a meeting with the Myo Dha. As a representative of the High Priest, Bon understood why he was needed. But why Mai?

She didn't speak throughout the way. Actually, Bon hadn't heard her speak since the morning, when they left her in the Order's infirmary. She was looking down the whole way and, now that he was closer, he could tell she was tense. Like she was still in battle.

Konekomaru had somehow beaten them to the meeting room, as he was already sitting next to Yaozo Shima and Uwabami Hojo. Bon sat across him and Maira followed his lead.

"I suppose all three of you are wondering why you're here." Hojo stated, glancing at each of the Exwires before resting a pointed gaze at Maira, who was staring hard at the surface of the table.

"Bon, would me mind telling me why my son didn't partake in this mission?" Shima asked. Bon froze. _He knew._

"Renzo...last night he confessed to being a spy for the Illuminati. He was the one who kidnapped Kamiki and we saw him leave with Lucifer." He answered, doing his best not to stutter. Hojo shot Yaozo a sympathetic look, but the man simply nodded to Bon.

"And we know that Renzo and miss Kazume were together for a while before that."

Bon allowed himself a second to glance at Maira. She was gritting her teeth but made sure to keep her head low enough so that Yaozo wouldn't notice.

"Forgive me for speculating miss, but that also makes you a suspect." His tone however indicated something else. Bon almost gasped as the realization dawned on him; Yaozo was blaming Maira for Renzo's betrayal. The look she returned was colder than the one she had given Bon in the bus. It was the same look she had when she shot Renzo.

"With all due respect, he confessed to being involved with the Illuminati long before I arrived in Japan."

"Perhaps. But I find it impossible that you wouldn't notice anything off while you were with him."

Thankfully, Bon was faster than her. He grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed. He didn't know what she was planning on doing, but the dirty look she shot him indicated it was not good.

"Sir... she almost killed him today. That's the only proof I need to believe her." Konekomaru jumped to her rescue. Although Bon wasn't sure if that made her look innocent. Regardless, both men shot Maira surprised looks.

"I... suppose your trust in her is noteworthy. But the Order has a policy against killing humans. Was the situation so that you were left with no choice?" Hojo asked Maira. Unlike Yaozo, he didn't seem to be blaming her for anything.

"No." She answered firmly. Bon swore he was gonna hit her if she continued. Koneko and -albeit unknowingly- Hojo had given her a chance to redeem herself to Yaozo and she was blowing it because she was angry.

"He's a traitor and deserves a traitor's death. If it wasn't for them, I would have drawn out his death as long as I could." The seriousness in her voice made Bon pale a bit. Okay, maybe she wasn't just angry. She was _infuriated_.

"I hope you understand if we are still wary of your intentions. But, forgive us for presuming..." Hojo was cut off by a very loud snort coming from Maira, who shot up and bolted out of the room.

"Well," Yaozo said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "that went horrible."

* * *

As if the last two days weren't bad enough, the Paladin and his sister decided to show up in Kyoto. Angel had almost immediately ushered Yukio and the others away for a full report, leaving Maira with Leah, who didn't seem very happy.

"You know, I remember distinctly saying 'don't move, I'll be right back'. And what do you do? You try to kill a valuable source of information."

Maira rolled her eyes. Even though she used to teach at the her cram school, Leah's authority was never recognised- until she pulled out Aegis, that is.

"Like you wouldn't try to shoot Eva..."

"What the hell does she have to do with anything?"

"Well, she was there for one. She almost killed me. Until I almost killed her, I _think_...Anyway, you get the picture."

"I wouldn't shoot her." Leah's eyes softened a bit. "I would capture her. There is a very big difference between the two."

"Why is everyone so pissed at me?! I missed! It's not like he_ is _dead!" Maira exclaimed.

Leah put her hand on her shoulder. "No one's pissed at you. It's just... you were so happy with him, now you try to blow his brains out. Besides, you of all people should stay away from him, especially now."

"What? Why?"

"Shima's black flames. They can kill a demon possessing a human body without harming the vessel. But to you, it's a different story. He can kill you, and after your little stunt, he'll probably try."

"Great. Add that to my therapist's list." Leah chuckled as she pulled away.

"Oh, by the way. Your sister's fine, thanks for asking. Your parents are kinda angry though."

"They always are..." Leah shook her head in an attempt to hide her smirk and then turned all serious.

"Anyway, you should go pack up."

"We're leaving? Shouldn't I go tell the others to-" Maira had made a point of staying away from the others. They had seen a side of her she didn't want them to see and it was safe it say that everyone needed a little space. But still, if they were planning on leaving for the Academy immediately after reporting to Angel, they would have told her.

"Mai. They're not leaving. _We_ are."

She felt numb all over. _Of course _Angel wouldn't have come all the way out here for a damn report! Especially not with Leah in tow. Between her rampage and what Hojo had told her about the Order's policy, Maira feared the worst. They weren't going to execute her or anything, but that was what scared her the most. If she somehow got herself kicked out, she'd be stuck with her parents all day. And despite managing decent grades in normal school, her forte had always been in dealing with demons. She couldn't just go freelance, either.

"I don't...Why?"

Leah probably understood why Maira was so upset all of a sudden. She got this sheepish grin and wrung her hands behind her back, like a mischievous child.

"You see, when Logan found out what you were, I'd already met him. So, he asked me to _evaluate_ your bond with Sentinel. At the time I didn't know why he wanted me to do it, and it turned out that Branded people are actually a thorn to the Vatican's side. They let me live and serve under them because I was Arthur's sister and you... they let you live because I told them that your bond is stronger than mine. It didn't mean much then, but now they're starting to see it. The Grigori was going to form an elite team of people like us, before Lucifer waged war on them. Now they want you on the front lines."

Maira swore that execution would be more acceptable at this point. Leah had a way of confusing the living daylights out of a person, even if she didn't mean to.

"So, Shima's one of Illuminati's greatest weapons at present, by common sense I'm to stay away from him, and the Vatican wants me to -likely- go up against him. Is that you're saying?"

The grin dropped from Leah's face. "You really are a buzzkill. Sure, you might have to fight him again. Although, the way I was told, it looks like it's a more 'behind the scenes' job. Who knows, we might even be paired up for it."

She didn't get to say goodbye. Not because she wanted her departure to be dramatic or anything, but because as soon as they filed out of the room, they all made a beeline to the dining area. And she was already getting impatient waiting for Leah's brother to wrap up. Besides, they could just talk over the phone anytime.

* * *

**Just letting you people know, this is the only new chapter you'll see for the next two weeks. Up 'till now, I was writing an exam every second day. Starting next week, it's _everyday_. If I had managed to prepare the next two chapters beforehand, I would upload them no problem. Unfortunately, such a thing did not happen. Also, I know these last ones are short, I'm just biding my time and trying to pace it a bit.**

**Oh, and one last thing. Sentinel, as I might've already mentioned in chapter 7, isn't particularly strong. Here you see that her bond with Maira is what really counts. One more thing I glossed over is that Leah's demon _is_ strong. I leave it's name out because I want to have an epic reveal about it blah, blah, blah...**


	25. Burn

"Nah, doesn't look like we're coming back anytime soon." Bon said.

The situation in Kyoto had gotten a bit too much for his headache, what with Juuzo and Kinzo learning about Renzo, the funeral and all the drama that followed it. And while Bon had always wanted to get out of the city and away from his sometimes overbearing mother and his head-in-the-clouds father, this was just ridiculous. He couldn't even talk over the phone without someone walking in on him and disturbing him. So now he had resorted to going out specifically to talk to Maira.

"Huh." She mumbled and Bon noticed the sound of pages being turned in the background. "Guess it was a good thing I left earlier then?"

"Could've stayed around a little longer..." Because Mai would probably be the only other voice of reason, he thought. "But yeah, I guess Leah saved you."

"Not what I meant. You know, acting like a total bitch." Bon swore he heard her eye roll.

So far their conversations had been light and rather cheery, despite their individual situations; Mai was preparing for her Exorcist Exam and Bon was stuck in a mad house. But suddenly he realised that if he was treading in dangerous waters. Pushing her to talk about her outburst would probably backfire right on his face.

"I can't say that I blame you. I'd be pissed if someone made assumptions about me too."

And most of the time, people did. It was one of the consequences of dying his hair and getting piercings, so he had managed to live with them so far.

"No, not that. When I tried to shoot him... it wasn't a good idea..." She choked out. Maybe this was as hard for her as it was for him.

"Probably." He agreed, then mentally kicked himself. "I mean, you were angry..." Offering comfort was one of the things Bon sucked at and apparently hadn't been successful in that occasion either. Maira just sighed and he heard the frame of her glasses bump into the handset; one of the things he'd learned about her recently was that wore them when she studied.

"Anyway, I gotta go. These pages aren't gonna read themselves."

"'Kay. Bye."

Bon wished they had never talked about it. If they hadn't, they'd likely still be talking and he wouldn't have to go back yet. Alas, there was no escape.

* * *

"Well, the exam's just for show. They _really_ want you out there." Leah said for what seemed like the tenth time. Honestly, Maira had stopped paying attention. And regardless of how serious the exam was or wasn't, she'd rather do well. If it was just a formality, they could very well force into taking it again after the Illuminati was defeated. Hence, she needed to be in their good graces.

"The written one maybe. What about my meister exams? They're not gonna want me that much if I can shot a still target." She mumbled. Leah sighed and ran her fingered through her hair.

"We both know you can do better than that. If you're gonna worry about anything- which you shouldn't, really- it's the written part. And you've been reading for three days straight! Take a break, do something else." She tired, as if she was the one doing the reading.

"Well, we could go out sometime. I really kinda liked that bar-"

"There's something else you _should_ do." Leah cut in, her voice suddenly all serious. "You know, there's a chance you'll die out there."

"Yes, yes, everyone's already hammered _that_ into my head." She rolled her eyes. It wasn't that the prospect of death didn't scare her- it terrified her. It was they next words she didn't like.

"You have to tell them. At least then they won't have to wonder where you are all the time."

"Yes, because telling them that after years of lying and after already being grounded for leaving Felix alone and disappearing for two days, will definitely not be disastrous."

"Never said it won't be. Hey, my parents didn't take it too well either, and they'd already gone through the same with Arthur. That doesn't mean they shouldn't know."

Maira really, really hated the situation. All her friends were in Kyoto, and she was facing her biggest challenge yet. Her parents were always too busy to notice her. Hell, when Logan had found her, she was three and was trying to ran away from home. He returned her of course, but they didn't even bat an eye. On the other hand, she became more perceptive. She knew about her father's extra-marital activities long before her mother. And she knew about her mom's drinking problem before anyone even noticed. And they were always so self-absorbed with their image, they hadn't noticed that the whole neighborhood knew about them. Still, they had the gall to pretend everything was fine.

Felix, of course, was no better. She was an airhead, she was gullible and believed that all problems would go away if she ignored them. Perhaps telling them would be a much needed, cold slap of reality. Or they would just go about their business, pretending nothing was awfully wrong.

Finally, Maira couldn't take it. She thought about leaving through the window, but then remembered how well that had gone last time. Going through the front door wasn't an option either, unless her mother was already deep in her cups. Her father had, no doubt, already left to meet his girlfriend and Felix... God knew what she was doing. At least she could talk the older girl into not telling on her; just spring up some lie and Felix would seal her lips.

With a little luck, the others would be back before her mission officially begun, and she could come clean to her family. Then, she could just spent a night in the abandoned dorms with the Okumuras if it went too badly.

* * *

_He sighed happily as he breathed her scent had been embracing like this for what seemed like seconds, but the fast fading sunlight told him otherwise. She pulled away, only to lean back in and kiss him. Her lips were soft and warm against his and the sensation made his head spin and hist heartbeat quicken. He let his fingers card through her hair, finally resting at the nape of her neck, securing her._

_She smirked against his lips and pushed down onto the bed. The last remnants of the sun made her fair face glow and some strands of brown hair looked reddish under the rays. He noticed how her eyes gleamed, one green eye was lighter than the other, but only by a shade._

_Tentatively, he pushed her off him and onto the bed. He let one hand to travel up and down her side and begun laying kisses on her neck. She giggled, woving one hand into his hair and the other bunching up part of his shirt._

_The sun had gone down completely now, and the room was dark. That didn't stop him however. He continued caressing her and kissing her. At some point he lifted his head and tried to see her face in the darkness. Sure enough, it was there, almost glowing. But she wasn't smilling anymore. Instead, she looked terrified._

_He didn't understand why at first. Then his other hand, which had been hovering over her before, came down. The glowing blade pierced her stomach until it was hilt deep. Then, almost mechanically, he lifted it again and stabbed her once more. And then once more. Everyone time he did, she'd let out screams, until her screams turned to quiet sobs and they turned into silence._

Shima forced himself awake. His bedsheets were dripping with sweat and he was tangled in them. It took him a while before he calmed down and freed himself, but even then the nightmare was still fresh.

At least no one had woken up. The guy in the lower bunk opposite of him murmured something and turned away, but he didn't really wake up. Frustrated, he run his hand through his hair. It was sticking to his forehead and it felt disgusting.

Why did he have to dream of Maira, of all people?

Perhaps it was because of what she'd done to him. Castillo kept referring to her as a witch and, nearly a month afterwards, even Renzo had taken to calling her that. Yamantaka hadn't been very happy with her either. Whenever he had to summon him, the first time to come out of the demon's mouth was 'burn the with'. Well, he was more profane about it, but still.

He would be forced to kill her next time he saw her, he reminded himself. Not just because she posed a direct threat to him, but because those were his orders from Lucifer himself. Unfortunately for him, it had become widespread gossip; many members glanced at him with pity sometimes, others laughed behind his back. In the back of his mind though, he could hear them loud and clear:

**Burn the witch**

* * *

**And here we begin to see everyone slowly spiraling into insanity. Or something. Anyhow, Maira is Bon's lifeboat, Maira has to come clean to her family and Shima...well, he has a dirty dream that ends in blood and gore. Notice that his sequence in set a month AFTER Maira attempted to shoot him. The Mai-Bon conversation and the Leah-Mai conversation are a week after said event. **


	26. Serious Talk

Despite the discomfort of last week's phone call, Bon continued calling Mai. Thankfully, she seemed to have forgotten about it as well.

It wasn't long before they finally left Kyoto and came back to the Academy. The random phone calls had turned to face-to-face chatting and, as her exams neared, they started spending more time together. Mostly because he kept running into her at the shooting range. She'd told him the first phase of the exams was shooting, so she was putting more effort into it now.

"At least you guys won't have to go through that crap." She'd said, chewing on her straw.

"Yeah, well," He started, "Not_ this _year. The Grigori wants to have this business over and done with as soon as possible."

"Because of Rin?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah. To be fair though, he would have done good. He was studying like crazy."

"I know. Poor guy must've been scared for his life."

"Yeah, and now he'll go back to slacking until they suddenly say, 'hey exam's next week, doi!'" He grumbled. Maira laughed at his impersonation.

"Well, at least he might stand a chance then." She put the juice box down and her face got all serious.

"Leah thinks the mission's not gonna be easy."

"They probably wouldn't want you in it if it wasn't." Once again, he cursed himself for speaking before thinking. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. Actually, he always spoke his mind without paying much attention, but lately he was starting to care.

Maira, however, didn't seem to have heard him. She started playing with the hem of her skirt, biting her lip.

"I'll have to tell them..." She said quietly.

Bon relaxed as he assesed her carefully. She was a short thing, but far from frail. Even to someone who hadn't seen her fight, it was easy to see that she was strong in a way. Right now though, she seemed tiny and broken. Like when she had finally told them what had happened to her old friends.

"They can't really do much about it though, can they?" He wondered out loud. She glanced up at him, and he saw tears welling up.

"I mean," He chose his words carefully. "They can't just make you stop. You'll just announce to them something that's gonna happen no matter what." He scratched his head, wondering if that had sounded bad.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just...well, Leah's parents didn't take it very well when she told them. And I know my parents aren't the same, but they're not...they're not my _parents_. Sure, they brought me into this world, but...they were never there for me! Do you know how Logan found me? I was three and I had ran away from home. Sentinel tried to guide me, but will-o'-wisps are terrible guides and I got lost. Logan found me arguing with her and managed to get me back home. They hadn't noticed I was gone. I don't think they ever realized."

She had a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the bench they were sitting on, as if letting go meant death.

"Maybe they need it then." He said. "The truth, I mean. It may be too late to patch things up, but they deserve to know."

"Why would they deserve it? What have they done to deserve the truth?!" She sounded angry, though not at him. Still, he wasn't sure how to respond. Guess some tough love was required.

"Call Logan your dad all you want, it doesn't change the fact that they brought you up. They provided enough money for you to have a place to stay and even get you into this school. The least they deserve is one truth from you!" He didn't know why _he_ was getting so worked up about this.

In the end, it was her call to make and it didn't affect Bon all that much. Then again, if things got really bad someone'd have to tell them their daughter died in combat. Which was something he'd rather not even think of.

Without saying a word, she got up and left. Her shoulders were stubbornly square as she walked away, but her head was lowered. To say she was pissed would be an understatement.

With a grimace, he left for his dorm room.

* * *

_Great. Just fucking _great_._

She couldn't go back to the Academy because she wanted to avoid Bon and the others, and there was no way in hell she was going home. It was way too early in the day for all this bullshit.

Instead, all Maira could do was wander around aimlessly. Which of course brought out the paranoia in her, because last time she _wandered around aimlessly_ she got kidnapped and almost lost a leg. Then again, those fanatics hadn't done anything notable since taking her, so the chances that they were still lurking about for her were pretty slim.

Which was rather disappointing. If they did jump her again, she would be more prepared. Namely, she'd just have Sentinel suffocate them while she shot them. That would ease her nerves somewhat. Maybe.

And _of course_, Leah was unavailable. Just like she always was when Maira needed her. But apparently the Paladin wasn't, since when he picked up his sister's cellphone earlier, he sounded like he had just woken up. Hell, she should probably start hanging out with him instead! She might even pick up some sword tricks too. But nope, no rest for the wicked. Or fun. No fun for the wicked. Because fuck the wicked.

And fuck everything else.

Maira groaned loud enough for a passing old lady to glare at her. She just needed to _do_ something. Anything that made her sweat and fill her with adrenaline and give a chance to break something- or someone. She almost felt a light bulb go up when she found the solution; Rin. Sweet, gullible, indestructible (somewhat) Rin.

If Maira's squeal of temporary joy didn't scare the remaining passerby's, the smile definitely did.

* * *

"I don't get it." Rin admitted, holding his pillowed arms up. "How's this gonna help me?"

"What, you don't get punched?" Maira tried her best to joke with him, instead of getting down to business.

"I do. But usually I have a flaming sword with me."

"Humor me."

Without warning, she punched at him. To his credit, his reflexes were fast enough to block it with the pillows.

"Besides, it's not like you have anything better to do." She added and punched again.

Rin shrugged. First mistake. The force of her strike made his arms fly into his own stomach.

"Can you take it a little easier?" He asked, covering his belly with a grimace.

"Err, no. I'm not feeling very well right now."

"Like, sick?"

"No." She replied nonchalantly. "Now put those hands up!"

Rin was getting better at blocking. Sweeping kicks though, that was a different story all-together. Maira marveled at how he could use a sword and keep his lower half so still and passive. Hell, with the proficiency he'd showed with the Kurikara so far, Maira had thought he could pull off Brazillian dances. But no, he stubbornly kept his hips stiff.

As her frustration started wearing off, she found herself feeling more like Logan when he was showing her how to block in hand-to-hand. And she felt... peaceful.

Until Bon's words started creeping back into her conscience. _Call Logan your dad all you want...They deserve it..._ Just who the did he think he was?! He didn't know half the crap she went through growing up with them, they didn't deserve anything! Maybe Felix wasn't as bad as Maira always thought, but that didn't excuse her parents.

Although... she wasn't angry. Not at him anyway. Maybe he did have the right idea after all, actually. All this time they had hurt her without even caring. Perhaps it was time she returned the favor, and finally have this chapter of her life over and done with. It was in her imaginary bucket-list and, since the chances of her surviving were questionable, she had best get started with fulfilling them.

* * *

**Okay, so, if you think that the story development lately is really slow, then you don't know the half of it. I've been staring at the damn thing for a few precious hours now, trying to squeeze the next part in and I just can't. I can't even. **

**Also, I agree with Maira on this one. Fuck everything. Geometry sucks. Or rather, I suck at geometry. Either way, fuck it.**


	27. Distracted

Maira stared at the paper in front of her, feeling neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed.

In cursive, hand-written black letter, the paper was declaring a full-fledged Exorcist and below it were listed all the honors and burdens that came with the title. Given the fact that the mission would dangerous, Maira couldn't care less about the honors. And the burdens... well, there was only one she needed to care of. If only it was as easy as a fancy letter, maybe she would've taken care of it sooner.

Konekomaru, who was the unlucky sod that happened to be with her when she received her 'promotion', had at first rejoiced, only for his happiness to die out as soon as he saw her face. She guessed it was tense, and there was definitely a deep line on her brow.

"C-could you call Bon for me? Tell him to meet at the train station?" Shakily, she left without earning a response.

It was a given that she would pass; the exam itself had been ridiculous and she would have to try really had to fail it. But, in all reality, she wished that wasn't the case. There was a certain comfort in knowing her home situation would never change. Her mom would try her best when she walked through the door, but then immediately get her drinks out when she thought no one was listening, her father would still be an ignorant asshole who couldn't even be there to pretend to care. And she was about to tear a huge hole in the fabric of their reality. She was a soldier, not a child, not just a girl.

A part of her had been excited about hurting them the same way they'd hurt her, at least at first. She had already begun collecting the things she couldn't afford to part with, like gun parts, a few clothes two pictures; her Cram School classroom and Felix. She was terrified of actually missing her sister, because they were never really close. But Felix wasn't like their parents; she was kinder, more open about her problems and more intent on fixing them. Just...not enough.

Maira trudged towards the train station, hands shoved in her jeans and her ears covered by bright green headphones. She passed by the bridge again. The water below was sparkling under the high sun, a deep blue. Maira leaned over the railing, looking at her own reflection. She was a soldier.

Bon didn't take long to show up. He was tense, like he expected a violent reaction from her. If he was, he didn't get anything other than a blank stare.

"I just...I can't do it alone." She said in a small voice. Bon didn't ask what she meant; he needn't to. Silently, she wondered if telling his parents about his plans to become an Exorcist had been this hard. Probably not, seeing as he didn't lie to them about it for his entire life.

He nodded, still not speaking. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

* * *

He decided to wait for her outside. Last thing this whole situation needed was her parents blaming him for the bomb their daughter was about to drop on them. When he mentioned it, he was pretty sure he saw the corners of her lips twitch up into a cynical smile, for a split second.

"Yeah, wouldn't want them to think my punk boyfriend's giving me drugs." She'd said. She was trying make as light as of the situation as she could, but it was too hopeless.

That and he didn't know what to think about her comment. _'Punk boyfriend', huh._

* * *

Somehow, her lucky stars had aligned and her parents were both in the same room, not arguing. It was rare to see her father at home, much less not screaming his head off. For a Japanese man, he really didn't have any control over his emotions. He was tall, with black hair that had just begun sprouting white strands. Guess all this time spent in other people's beds was a good anxiety reliever.

"Can I talk to you?" She said, managing to get only her mother's attention. The woman turned to her slowly, and it was apparent she needed a drink. Which was a good thing, because she wouldn't be able to blame the booze for what she would hear. Maira sat on the couch as far away from the two adults as she could.

"There's something I have to tell you. I'm leaving, and I don't know if I'm coming back- mom, please, let me finish. It's important." Maira took a deep breath, preparing her speech.

"Ever since I can remember, you two were at each throats about everything. No, I'm not here for couple's counseling, it's too late for that. I tried to do the same thing you did, pretend nothing was going on, put on a show for the world. And, as it turns out, I'm not as good at it as you. I don't want to pretend to be part of a family that barely acknowledges my existence. And yes, father, I've already found what I'll do with myself. It's the glamorous day job you have, and it doesn't involve me whoring myself out. And that's all you need to know."

A small, hopeful and slightly bitter part of her patted herself on the back. Just by the looks on their faces, she knew she'd delivered the point home. Her mother started crying and stumbled towards the kitchen, no doubt to get to her 'hidden' bottle. Her father stared at her, blankly. Then, he started yelling at her. How could she take care of herself, she was a child. A spoiled, rotten child with no talent or a higher call. And if she dared set foot in his house again, he'd call the cops.

And those were just the few things he said, even after she climbed up the stairs, retrieved her duffel bag from under the bed and exited the house.

She smiled bitterly as she made her way towards Bon. She had a talent; she was good for killing people. She had a higher calling; she was a soldier.

Her father had followed her to the doorstep, still screaming threats at her back, but she had already tuned him out. There was no need to exchange words with Bon. All there was to do was bury her face in his shoulder and hope she didn't stain his shirt. Her father was still seething and red faced when he went back inside, and they were still standing on the sidewalk, embracing.

* * *

There was still a week before she was dispatched. In that time, she had to find a place to stay at, and get comfortable in her new Exorcist suit, which turned out to be a bigger hazard than telling her parents the truth.

The twins, she realized, she hadn't informed them. The moon was already out as she and Bon made their way over the bridge. She couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Bon asked, wiping blindly at his face.

"No. I'm just an idiot. I went through all that bull and I forgot the ask Okumura to squat at their place." She said, realizing her fit of laughter had brought along tears that stung her eyes.

"You could...You should stay at our dorm then." He replied decisively.

"Your dorm? Bon, that's nice of you but I'm not sure I-"

"Shima's room is still empty." He blurted out. For a second, all they did was stare at one another, pale against the moonlight.

"I mean, I could sleep in his room and you stay with Kone-"

"No. It's fine." She said, all the laughter and the tears cut short. "I've slept there before, so..."

* * *

If Bon had a wall nearby, he'd bang his head against it under he fainted from concussion. Yup, reminding an emotionally unstable Maira that her boyfriend's working against her and the whole freaking Order is a very smart and considerable thing to do. Of course, he didn't manage to cover up his mistake. God damn it, Maira should just have shot him then and there, to keep him from making matters worse.

Regardless, Maira had silently retreated in Shima's old room. For all the money thrown in to build this Academy, the walls weren't think enough. He could hear her, but he didn't know if she was crying. He wasn't sure anyway. He had to make sure Yukio set up a room for her, because he wasn't sure how helpful it would be if she had to kill the guy with whose shirts she was cuddling with at night.

Somehow, that was when it clicked. If those two met while on a mission, only one could come back. Shima, despite his betrayal, had been his friend since birth. And Maira was loyal and a good listener. He didn't want either of them to die, especially not at the hands of one another. And to think that Maira had already attempted to kill him...this was bad. Really bad.

* * *

Her cheeks felt cold. It was like the tears streaming down her face were freezing just under her cheekbones. Everywhere around her where _his _things. Things she could recognize from a mile off because she had spent too much time with him in this damned room. Heck, she could still _smell_ him in the room.

Hesitantly, she laid down on the bed. As the mattress and the sheets shifted, his scent came wafting into her nostrils. How could she be this stupid? Three times she had turned guys down and the one time she didn't, he_ had _to be a spy.

And he even said he loved her. _Stupid_. She was stupid and gullible.

* * *

Leah toweled her hair with an already wet towel, feeling as drowsy as a five year old. Then again, warm baths tended to have that effect. She decided she wasn't going to bother with drying her hair; she had wanted to fall face-first into her pillow.

But something caught her eye. Resting innocently on top of the green covers was a black velvet box. She let the towel fall to the floor and made her way towards it. It certainly wasn't Angel; mostly because her door was locked and he didn't have a key, but also because he wasn't the type to buy gifts. She opened the curious box, only to find a black lace choker and a neatly folded slip of paper.

Her curiosity spurred, Leah took out the note first, and read it.

_"Check your dresser."_

The writing was familiar, as was the signature use of blue ink. She rolled her eyes, but still headed for the dresser. There was another, bigger black box in the bottom drawer, complete with a pink bow. As Leah rummaged through it's contents- which were mostly random trinkets she had collected over the years- she found another letter tucked away safely at the bottom.

She went back to the choker with the letter in hand, reading through it as she fingered the lace. Her fingertips came across cold metal, diverting her eyes from the blue letters to the choker. A silver crescent moon hung from the lace. She looked at it for a moment, then back at the letter and then to the Deathbell that was in the corner next to the dresser.

At the end of the letter, instead of a signature were the words, "_Decisions, decisions._"

* * *

**Okay, if you think the whole parents-vs-Mai thing was a little underdeveloped (considering how big a deal I made it on previous chapters), please understand that it was never really about Maira's parents. It was about Maira (and subsequently, Bon) completely forgetting that Shima even exists. A distraction, if you will. Maira keeps telling herself how hard telling them is because, a. she doesn't like changes and b. she doesn't want to deal with the mission at all. **

**And, yeah, she did shoot him before, but she has already admitted to acting on impulse (hence Bon calling her emotionally unstable).**


	28. Goodbye

Yukio returned to his dorm feeling so tired he couldn't feel his limbs anymore. It was one of those days were grading tests collided with writing them and doing all sorts of Exorcism jobs and researched on the side. And, as hard working as he was, he hated those days with a fiery passion.

The moment he stepped into the building- his feet falling right over the portection charm under the mat he'd set up a week ago- something entered his nose and beckoned him to go to the kitchen, where the delicious smelling source was originating from. Once in the kitchen, he found Rin and Ukobach running around the kitchen, cooking. Yukio, through his exhaustion, found the sight and the scent faintly familiar, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"What are you two up to?" He asked groggily, ready to collapse face first into the first table he found and just sleep there for a few hours.

Rin stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to his younger brother with a devious grin, like a child being caught in the act. He gestured to Ukobach, or rather the spatula he was was holding.

"Maira leaves in three days. We're having a party for her."

Yukio almost didn't hear it.

"Huh. When?"

"On Tuesday...well, the day after tomorrow." Rin answered cheerfully and prepared a plate of dinner for Yukio.

"Here." He said as he pushing the warm china towards his narcoleptic brother. Yukio, still barely able to move through his exhaustion, attempted to scoop up some of the food with the fork- or was it a spoon?- while trying not to get it all over his clothes. To his partial dismay, he was as careful in doing so as a drunk man.

Rin didn't go back behind the counter to help Ukobach. Instead, he stayed there, uncomfortably quiet as Yukio ate.

"Do you think Mai's..." He started finally, only to lose his voice again.

Yukio tried to sigh the tiredness away. "Die? I hope not. The Grigori's got a lot riding on this."

"The Grig- nevermind. I just...it's either her or him, you know?"

Him. Shima. The spy. Yukio sighed again, this time to deliver a point.

"I don't think it'll come to that. Song and Shura make this mission sound dangerous and complicated, but I doubt they'll risk their trump card so early in this war." Yukio admitted.

"But Mai's not the only trump card!" Rin protested.

"Rin, the Grigori doesn't trust you. They don't trust Ser Pheles either. The Paladin's not exactly a trump card. Maira has had their seal of approval since she was five, and not that many people in the order even know about her. It makes her the best weapon they have."

If Rin still doubted him, he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he retreated to the kitchen, working on the food less excitedly.

* * *

"Was it really that hard?" Leah asked, a glimmer of humor in her eyes.

Maira shrugged in response, preffering to drink her coffee in peace.

"Telling them? I suppose not."

"'Then what's the problem?"

"It...it doesn't seem real, you know? It's been a whole month and I'm just not feeling it. Like he's gonna walk through the door and nothing will have changed."

Leah nodded.

"That's kinda how I felt when Eva walked out. Falling in love is really hard the first time around. Especially if you love assholes."

"But I didn't-"

"No, you just every waking- and non waking- moment with him." She cut in with an eye roll. "Look, I'm not here to tell you how to feel, but it's easier to see it this way."

"It is? So what, I just tell myself that I might have to kill the guy I love and that's easier? I thought that seeing him as the enemy would be the solution." She admitted, rubbing the her neck sheepishly.

"When you _do_ it, maybe. I don't think it'll help you deal with it afterwards though. Killing a human being is... more fucked up than killing a demon."

"Never really noticed anything fucked up about killing demons." Maira grumbled.

Leah's forest green eyes met hers for a split second and her alabaster face creased with an unreadable expression.

"So...party?"

"Wh- oh yeah. That thing." Maira said dreadfully. "It's not a good idea, but they already made preparations. I still don't wanna go though."

"You have to say goodbye at some point." Leah pointed out.

"I know. I just don't want to act if nothing's wrong and pretend to have fun while doing it."

"And why not? For all you know, it could be fun."

"Yeah. A 'mentally unstable' Branded, four orphans and their long-suffering friend. Fun!"

"You missed one."

"I think Shiemi's normal. And that's really saying something about the rest of us."

Leah laughed.

"_I_ think Moriyama knows more than you give her credit for."

"Yeah, well, I've spent more time with her than you."

For a few quiet moments, all that could be heard was the soft jazz music the cafe was playing. It was a bit too early in the day and the only other patrons were a group of three that hadn't quite woken up yet.

"Nice choker, by the way." Maira commented, eager to break the silence. "New?"

Leah touched her neck absently. "Yeah. They had run out of suns, so I got the moon one instead."

"Shame. Amaterasu would love it."

* * *

The green bag swung familiarly between her shoulder blades as Maira made her way out of the boys' dorm. Sentinel was quietly opposing her decision to leave early, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Even if she did attempt to stay behind, she'd probably drive herself insane with worry.

Frankly though, Maira didn't feel very good about ditching her friends either. But the last thing she needed was a party in her honor. She hadn't done anything to deserve it; she'd been blind to Shima's machinations, she tried to kill him upon finding out and then spent her days moping about. If she did deserve anything, it would be a harsh slap of reality, whatever that might entail.

She had just passed the bridge Kuro used to guard when she heard her name being called out. Dreading the next part, she turned around slowly to see a relatively pissed off Bon. He stomped his way over to her, and all she could do was give him her best innoncent grin.

"Where are you going?" He demanded.

"Look, party sounds nice an' all, but-"

"No buts. We all spent so much preparing it for you and you're even gonna show?"

"Rude, I know. I just don't think it's the best idea."

"It's not." He agreed, relaxing some. "But they haven't seen much of you lately. I think Izumo might actually be missing you." He added thoughtfully.

"And I'll miss her too. But I...can't. I need to be vigilant."

"Yeah, well, you could at least say a_ vigilant _goodbye."

Maira stared at him for a second, taking in his appearance. Sure, the piercings and the hair was the same as always, and he was wearing casual clothes. And there was tiny, pink box in his hand that he was trying to hide by rolling back and forth on his heels. There was something familiar about the way he stood there. She knew that if she closed her eyelids she would remember- she would see it play out. And so she let it.

She hadn't realized what she'd done until she heard the box hit the floor with a soft 'thud'. Her hands her clutching onto the front of his shirt, keeping him in place and, despite him not being too tall in comparison, she was tiptoeing. Her mouth was pressed against his in a parody of a kiss. But she didn't pull away. Neither did he.

Not at first anyway. His hands moved from hanging awkwardly at his sides to wrapping around her. That's when reality veered away from memory and trully sunk in. That was _Bon_ she was kissing. And sure, they had come close lately, but not close enough for _that _to happen. She jerked away from him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Fortunately- if there was anything to be happy about in that thrice-damned situation- Bon was too stunned to realize she had pulled away, and he didn't see the tears that started welling up in her eyes or the ugly red color her face had. Without saying a word, Maira turned tail and made a run for it.

* * *

**...So, that happened.**

**Okay, okay, truth be told, when I first started writing this, it was supposed to be a BonxOc fic (and that's why chapter 1 in in Bon's P.O.V) but I changed my mind . I decided the unrequited love thing later. Well, here it is.**


	29. Faces

Her heart was racing.

She was restless, and it was beginning to show in her slow reaction time and the hamfisted attempts at fighting back. Her hair was sticky to her sweaty face and she felt like her head was about to explode.

A fist collided with her stomach, knocking all the air out of her. She lost her balance then, her weapon went flying out of her hand and she was suddenly on the floor, her skull ringing thanks to the impact.

She gasped for air as her opponent stood over her, sword raised high. She had lost.

Again.

"Swordplay is _really_ not your style, huh?" Leah commented, dropping her wooden sword and offering her hand.

"Not fair. You play dirty." Maira gasped out before accepting the offer.

"Eva doesn't play fair, kiddo. No one plays fair except for Angel."

Maira tried to laugh, but her ribs screamed in protest as she heaved. "At least go a little easier? I'm not used to close combat."

Leah shrugged and then went to pick up Maira's wooden blade from where it had landed.

With the hand that was throbbing, Maira pushed her sticky hair out of her face, still trying to catch her breath. Leah wasn't a forgiving teacher, even less so than Logan. It didn't help that the man had never thought to teach her swordfighting. The closest thing to a sword she'd ever held were plastic darts for crying out loud!

Lighting, who had been watching the two train, approached her with a half-empty water bottle.

"Won't lie, you're better with firearms." He said as he watched her gulp down the remains.

"Guns're the only thing I'm good at." Maira admitted once the bottle was empty.

"Bah, who needs these medieval things anyway? Bunch a' show-offs." He joked, glancing at Leah.

"What's your meister anyway?" Maira asked suddenly, before Leah realized what he'd said.

"Me? Doctor mainly. I know my verses, but I've no diploma."

"Yup. The one doctor you don't want treating you." Leah said while undoing her ponytail. The golden strands fell in curls over her shoulder, something Maira was always jealous of; her hair was a perfectly common shade of brown, thick and straight. Sure, she could pull off a lot of hairstyles, but only if she slaved over them for a few hours. Meanwhile, Leah's hair didn't even need styling.

Which begged the question, does Angel straighten his hair?

"Aw, come on." Lighting pouted at Leah, pulling Maira from questions that would likely lead to ruin if asked out loud. "I've _never_ touched anyone!"

"You don't have to touch to be perverted." Leah snapped. It was obvious Lighting was winning this round of jests.

"Right... when do we leave again?" Maira cut in.

"In three days. Of course, it's another three till we get there. Can't travel by plane or we risk the Illuminati knowing we're up to something."

Great.

Maira had always wanted to travel abroad and, in a way, she had managed to do so when she moved from Britain. But, well, she was pretty much homeless now. Her parents kicked her out and she wasn't sure she could set foot in the Academy again- thanks to her own stupidity, that is.

And, as one would expect, Angel wasn't too excited about having her over. For sure, Maira made sure to act properly when he was around and not make a nuisance of herself -unlike Leah- but she was still a very confused, very curious and exceptionally stupid teen (even though Angel hadn't called her the last one _yet_).

She had yet to meet the rest of her new team. Leah had only told her that one of them was also Branded; a mercenary from India, with no actual knowledge of exorcism. Leah said that she was enlisted because she had combat experience and because they weren't expecting trouble from demons while on mission.

When Maira had asked _how_ they knew to enlist her, Angel had cut in, telling her that the Grigori had begun making files on suspected Branded after Logan brought her to them. Sheela the mercenary was one of the few who had been confirmed as Branded and they had been planning on enlisting her as part of the special unit Leah had once talked about. Unfortunately, the war got in the way of that.

* * *

Leah had allowed for a short break in between sessions. The sooner they all learned to fight with each other, the better. That said, when Maira walked into the room again, she didn't know what to expect.

The team was composed of Exorcists of various ethnicities, all with the same rank and clothes. Except for her.

Maira hadn't met any other Branded, save for Leah, but she had always felt drawn to her, as a little girl admiring her role model. Sheela however seemed to drawn her in for different reasons. She wasn't beautiful; she was tall, muscular to a fault and her head was shaved, smooth as an egg. Her Mark was there, on top of her head; a blue, winding flower, whose edges brushed against her eyebrows. Her right eye was almost black, while the left one was grey- a deep, ugly scar below it proved that she was blind in that eye.

There were numerous white scars running along her bare arms, contrasting with her brown skin and showing that she was not to be messed with. Abstractly, Maira wondered what type of demon she'd imprinted with.

Later, after they had all introduced themselves, Maira saw Leah leading Sheela towards her. It was a funny scene, as Leah was a harmless ballerina in comparison to Sheela. Still, the blonde succeeded in dragging her in front of Maira, who was silently cursing her height. Or, lack of it.

"I suposse you're the one she always goes on about?" Sheela said, her voice think with accent.

"I guess. Maira."

Sheela nodded. "Nice to meet you, _gori_."

"Sheela will be paired up with you. Sentinel's element empowers hers." Leah chimed in.

Maira's brow furrowed in question, and Sheela was kind enough to answer.

"Fire trickster. He's not very helpful." She shrugged and gestured to her defective eye.

"Is he like Amaterasu?" Maira asked.

"Amat- No, no. Fire's just not an easy element to _conquer_."

"I'll just leave you two to it." Leah said before dancing away to another group.

"She is...an insteresting one, no?" Sheela commented, staring at the golden haired woman.

"The thought of blood excites her." Maira replied. "Not that weird in this line of work."

Sheela grinned at her, showed a row of stark white teeth.

* * *

Last few days hadn't been kind to him. Between the heat and Castillo's training program, Shima was absolutely beat. Sometimes he felt so tired he couldn't even sleep. Then again, that was for the best.

Every time he closed he eyes he saw her, bleeding and broken. It was...unsettling, to say the least. It didn't help that he'd been assigned as Lucifer's personal guard either. The Demon King had to be wheelchair bound after his declaration of war; his human vessel couldn't handle the strength of his Heart.

Shima rolled the wheelchair around the barracks; a depressing symphony of dirt, dust and metal. He guessed it came with living underground. Whoever used this place before had left in a hurry, apparently. That, or Castillo had taken it upon herself to clear the residents out.

It wasn't a secret that the woman was violence. In fact, Shima was pretty sure she was the most violent person in the group, which was something. All the other guards under her were either half-crazed with theirs beliefs in Lucifer's vision and the other half was more like her and himself; traitors to the Order.

Lucifer, who had been quietly brooding in his wheelchair, raised a hand. Shima stopped dead in his tracks and looked at his superior, waiting his orders.

"I believe we have a visitor. Take me back to my office." He said, letting his hand fall back on his lap. Shima did as he was bid, and started the long, depressing walk back to Lucifer's quarters which, merit to all the machinery designed to contain his Heart in his vessel, made the rest of the bunker look like a circus.

As soon as Shima opened the door, Lucifer wheeled himself inside. In the room where two contrasting figures. One was Eva, her long, red hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck and her arm still bandaged.

The other one was completely out of place. It was also a woman, and she stood with her back to him. Her hair fell down her back and almost seemed like gold under the fluorescent light. When she realized Lucifer had entered the room, she turned slowly to greet him.

Shima's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. The woman was beautiful, more so than any other he'd met so far. He knew his jaw was hanging wide open, but he couldn't bring himself to stop staring. She fell to her knees in front of Lucifer, and took his hand in hers.

"Father."

* * *

**Shit's getting so real I can't even.**

**Anyway, Sheela keeps calling Maira 'gori'. It means 'white girl', or 'pale girl', but you get the point. Maira just doesn't get enough sun.**

**Also, Shima's sequence takes place a day or two before Maira's, despite being presented the other way around.**


	30. Luminosity

Maira felt as though someone had replaced her blood with lava.

That was how hot in was in the their jeep. It didn't help that there were about twenty or so Exorcists, huddled around Leah- or rather, her shield. Aegis' enchantment actually gave off a cool aura and if it wasn't for the fact that if anyone so much as touched it would instantly get frostbite in eight different places, they'd have probably ripped each other to pieces.

Of course, Leah's predicament was much worse. At least Maira got to wear a tank top instead of the long sleeved shirt and gloves Leah had to wear in order to wield Aegis. To compensate for that situation, Leah got to be the one holding the large shield. Which meant that she was probably cooler than everyone else.

Maira turned to Sheela, whose bond with a fire demon meant she could take the heat. Well, better than the others, at least. Her face had shifted into an awkward 'kill me' expression, but Maira guessed it was mostly because she had four sweaty people pressing up against her. Sheela glanced at her slowly, as if she wasn't quite awake yet.

"What is it, _gori_?" She asked, sounding as though she'd been running for hours.

Maira shook her head, finding her throat coarse from the heat.

* * *

Shima was...surprised, to say the least. And not in a pleasant way.

The woman, that tall, willowy woman who had called Lucifer her father, turned out to be Song. In a sense, that is.

Shima hadn't recognised her at frst because, well, she didn't _look_ like herself. Sure, the hair, they eyes and the physique was the same, but that sense of wonder as she gazed up at her 'father'... That was something he was better off not seeing. Whenever she came up in a conversation, Maira always talked about her like she was some sort of hero, unbent and unbowed.

Right now, she looked submissive and there was not a single sign of the fierceness she always had about her. And then Lucifer spoke, confirming his suspicions.

"I see you've finally swayed your vessel, Amaterasu."

It made a lot of sense. Sure, Shima didn't know the name of the demon Song had imprinted with, but as the name rolled off Lucifer's tongue, everything clicked together. Her Mark was a golden cherry blossom. And Amaterasu was the Japanese goddess of the Sun.

Then another little thought crept into his mind-

_No._

Maira was _not _a part of this. She couldn't be. Lucifer said it himself, Leah being here was Amaterasu's doing. Maira had no part in it. If she did, why would Castillo want her dead?

"Yes. It took a while, but my human vessel has now lost all control of her body. Soon, she will be no more." Amaterasu said, her voice sounding eerily like Leah's. Of course it would.

"Close the door, boy." Castillo barked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He realized he was still standing in the doorway, making space for the wheelchair to go through, even though it already had.

Then, he remembered. Castillo and Song-

He glanced at the red haired woman, but found her the same as ever; her jaw was set, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she glanced between the two demons. Shima guessed that the mistrust towards them was something her father had managed to plant deeply into her. He knew as such for himself.

"They are coming." Amaterasu continued. "A small group of Exorcists, with two Branded."

Castillo stepped forward. "The only Branded in the Order are L- your vessel and the girl."

"They brought in another one." Amaterasu replied, casting a dark look at the mortal who dared speak to her. Castillo looked down immediately, and Shima knew; she was _worried_ about Song.

"I see. I assume you will also join them?" Lucifer asked.

"Yes. Under the pretense that I am still Leah Song, that is."

"Good. Kill them."

* * *

Later, when no was else lingered in that section of the bunker, Shima followed Amaterasu quietly, as Lucifer had ordered him. If she noticed him, she didn't say anything. He didn't expect her to do anything drastic; she was in an Illuminati hive, after all.

Before she even tried to do anything though, Castillo jumped her from the darkness. Amaterasu nearly jumped, which only served to confuse him further. Amaterasu, if he remembered correctly, was amongst the oldest, mort powerful demons below the Demon Kings. So why was she so oblivious to her surroundings?

If Castillo spoke, her voice was to low for Shima to hear. But Leah's was not.

"Do not presume to know me, mortal." She said sternly, causing Castillo to flinch. "Simply because you knew my vessel once does not mean you know _me._ Or have the right to speak to me, as though you and I are equals."

Castillo stared at her walk away, her expression probably crestfallen. Shima couldn't tell for sure. Still, it somehow made him giddy to know someone had come this close to breaking her.

This was bound to be interesting.

* * *

He could feel their stares linger on his back. Honestly, it was more annoying that embarashing.

Bon attempted to swallow down his irritation and shrug them off. As if losing another friend wasn't enough, Maira just had to do _that_. Worse still was the fact that he'd kissed her back, despite every single sane voice in his head screaming no. Even a week later, he didn't know what had pushed him to do it. Maybe it was because her action shocked him; he must've lost control, what with being distraught with the emminent death of either one of his friends.

Hopefully, that was it.

He could just talk to Maira when she got back, make sure she knew he wasn't _interested_. But when he lay in his bed, many disturbing thoughts entered his mind. What if...what if he _had_ wanted to kiss her? He couldn't remember seeing her as anything other than the girl who'd stuck with Shima after seeing his porn collection.

Suddenly, it clicked. He could, faintly, recall the first time he'd seen her; leaning over a bridge, brown hair flowing behind her. She had seemed ethereal, for a couple of seconds. As he came to know her better, he managed to peek through the cracks. Shima had already left when they started talking normally, and it was easy to see that something was...broken, inside her.

It was also easy to see how she felt about Shima. Try as she might, she didn't hate him, not really. She avoided the subject like the plague of course, but Bon could see the way her eyes light up when his name was mentioned, despite doing her best to mask it.

All Bon could do was hope.

* * *

It was one of those times when the word 'awesome' was called for.

The place was miserable. And hot. That was the part she tried to push far into the back of her mind, along with everything from back home.

What really inspired her was seeing Leah create herself a sword of light. Sure, she'd seen it happen more times than she cared to count, but everytime felt as rejuvenating as the last one. She guessed that it was because Amaterasu was a powerful demon, and she was seeing a glimpse of her power. It was more than likely however, that she was reminded of the way she viewed Leah as a child.

Sheela and Dhani were really impressive too. Maira had seen Sheela's attempts at getting Dhani to cooperate and it worked for the most part. Of course, Dhani would get bored after a while, and that's why the two were partnered up; air empowers fire. Therefore, if Maira could stand being left with only her own mortal senses, Sentinel could go in with Sheela and her demon and...keep him focused. Apparently the fact that he could burn things at a faster pace had excited him enough to do his part willingly.

Maira watched as fire engulfed Sheela's fists and felt a gust of wind as Sentinel shuffled away from her, and encased the Indian woman's body. Sheela herself seemed uncomfortable; getting used to having a submissive Dhani around her was odd enough and having someone else's 'blood-bound ally' as she called them didn't make it easier. Besides, they barely had time to train, but that trick, combined with Leah's skills and the rest of the unit's should be enough.

The mission was pretty much to find one of their bases and take by surprise. Maira, along with another Dragoon, was stationed outside with a sniper rifle, making sure that no one could escape. The other Dragoon was on the other side of the building and, in typical sniper fashion, neither of them were actually close to the building. Which only served to make Maira feel even more naked; Sentinel could see things Maira couldn't, and protect her from surprise attacks; with her gone and no one else nearby, Maira almost felt useless.

She wasn't allowed to ponder for much longer though. Leah, having entered her bossy state, barked at everyone to get in position.

Maira left Sentinel behind, and trudged away with a heavy sniper rifle in hand. Those lessons had really come in handy; last thing she wanted was to go inside the building with no protection other than her guns. Even with the combat training Leah had her do, it would still make matters complicated if it came down to hand-to-hand fighting.

Under the cover of the night, she slipped into position and pressed a finger to her ear. The comm. link buzzed to life.

"I'm in position." She announced.

"Roger that." Leah replied. If Sentinel was with her, she would be able to see part of the group, even in the dark; right now, she could only guess that they were entering the building.

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd been in that position. However, she made sure no one escaped. Mostly because no one fled the building. Maira blinked, suddenly realizing how numb her legs were. The moon was high on the sky, a sign that she'd been waiting there for a few hours. Slolwy, she reached to her comm. link, inwardly thinking if it would make her look bad in front of the other Exorcists; the missions she'd done so far were dumbingly simple.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the button. Before she could say anything, Leah's voice came through. She sounded breathless.

"Mai! Good, you're safe. Our other sniper's down, they knew you were coming."

"I-I'll contact HQ...?" Maira was unsure of what to do. Last time the situation was like this, it had gone really, really badly.

"NO!" Leah's voice has risen in pitch considerably, and Maira nearly jumped up. "I need you in here!"

* * *

Maira had left the rifle back in her post. It was too heavy and she was in a hurry- not to mention how little use it would be inside the building.

As soon as her boot touched the tiles, she was reminded of the the zombie-filled mall. Only the dead in here were truly dead. The floor

was littered with bodies, all of which were wearing Order coats. Dread settled inside her as she realized there were only corpses. No Illuminati agents, no surviving Exorcists. The building itself was far smaller than it looked like from outside; there were no upper floors, only a very high ceiling. No hatches leading down either.

Had this been a set up?

She caught a movement with the corner of her eye, and pulled out her revolver as she turned, ready to shoot. Fortunately, it was Leah, hunched over something. Maira put the gun back in it's holster and run towards here. She could be heavily wounded, but definitely alive. Maira stopped just behind her, ready to ask if she was all right. As the words formed in her mouth, Leah rose slowly. In front of her, a corpse slumped back down.

"What's going on?" Maira asked. There was something off about the way Leah was acting. The way she had talked earlier, the way she was moving now. Maira instinctively took a step back.

All she saw was a flash. A hot, white flash. And suddenly, Leah was in front of her with a very serious, very scary expression. Maira tried to scream, but no sound came out. There was a sharp pain in her abdomen as her thorax heaved and she felt her clothes dampen. She looked down to see Leah holding a miniature version of her light-sword, buried hilt deep into her stomach. No muscle had twitched in Leah's face, even as she pulled he dagger out.

Blood gushed out, and Maira was suddenly feeling incredibly light-headed. But there was no pain. Instead, she felt blood leave her face, her arms and her feet, and the world started fading to black. She was pretty sure she was falling, but Leah's face still hovered above her, self-luminous.

* * *

**Well, that happened.**

**Also, we're thirty, yay! As in, chapter thirty. Ahem.**

**This was meant to come out sooner (in July 7), but noooo! The one part I knew was coming just had to be the hardest to write. Almost like the universe is against me...**

**Also, there are definitely going to be grammar mistakes, because I wrote half of it on my sister's laptop. And her laptop's worthless and inoperable.**

**Okay, mistakes are fixed! The writing is still rushed though...**


	31. Machinations

When Maira woke up, she wasn't sure how to feel. Her head was pounding, and she couldn't move. The space she was in was suffocating. And she was completely alone. It took a bit of moving around to realize her hands and feet were chained together. How did she end up like that?

Her throat was dry and sore, so much so that couldn't breathe, much less speak. Despite the headache, Maira tried to recall what had happened.

_Something wrong with Leah. Corpses. Something wrong with Leah. __**Something wrong with Leah.**_

With a groan, she dropped her attempts. It was only making things worse. Right now, she had to get out of there, she couldn't worry about anything else. Not even Leah. Without Sentinel at her side however, she was completely hopeless. It was impossible to see anything in this darkness, and not a single sound could tell her anything about her whereabouts.

Until, that is, the telltale rattle of chains dragging against concrete reached her ears. She went rigid with fear and curiosity, and tried to focus on it. It was somewhere close, that was for sure.

And then, another, louder sound was made. That sound being a stream of Hindi that was probably not meant for her ears. A wave of relief washed over her; Sheela was alive. She tried to speak, but her throat was still too sore.

And she was _so_ tired.

* * *

But she never did find her voice. Not in time. Sheela never realized that there was another person in the next cell either.

After what Maira guessed- _hoped_\- to be have been two days since waking up, she heard two pairs of footsteps, pounding on the cement floor as they came closer and closer. Sheela went quiet too, listening carefully.

While they were captured, no one had passed by. Which also meant neither of them had eaten or drunk anything. In her delirium, Maira hoped someone was coming with water; the inside of her throat was so dry it hurt when she swallowed or attempted to speak.

Her heart plummeted with disappointment as a metal door was swung open. Sheela immediately started yelling, in a mix of both Hindi and broken English. Her chains rattled; she was struggling against them. The metal door closed again, and Sheela's protests seemed to get further and further away.

Maira froze in fear. What was going on?!

* * *

Shima stood in Lucifer's office again, guarding the door. Amaterasu and Castillo were stood opposite of Lucifer, who was hooked onto the machines that kept him alive.

"You didn't kill all of them, I see." He pointed out. Amaterasu lowered her gaze in a semi-apologetic manner.

"No. I had hoped that the two Branded would be of some use to you." She replied.

"How?" Castillo spoke. Lately, she'd been careful around Amaterasu and almost never spoke in her presence. Right now though, she seemed completely taken off guard.

"Demons who would fight with humans aren't particularly worth anything to our cause." Amaterasu began. "However, when my vessel was still in control, she was looking into Egyn's whereabouts. It seems he's been collecting Branded, through a group called the Gray River."

"Egyn...has a group?" Lucifer wondered out loud.

"Sort of. Nothing but a bunch of scared, superstitious mortals."

"Wasn't it the Gray River that had kidnapped Kazume?" Shima blurted out. Amaterasu turned slightly and squinted at him. It wasn't a glare, like the ones she shot Castillo every once in a while. It was just a thoughful look.

"Yes, it was. Egyn seems especially interested in that child. You and her were... involved at some point, yes?" Shima froze momentarily. He could go without Amaterasu thinking him a traitor. However, staying still only called more attention to himself. Hesitantly, he nodded.

"Better to stay away from her until we're done, then." Lucifer finished Amaterasu's musings. "It would not do if she were to completely lose trust in us."

"Sir?" Castillo's eyes widened. Shima had never expected to be in the same position as her; lost and utterly confused.

"She lost a lot of blood. Likely won't remember that it was me who betrayed her." Amaterasu replied.

"We can attempt to convert her to our cause, use her as a spy. If not, we can at least find out why my brother Egyn sees in her."

* * *

It hadn't been too long since Sheela was taken. Definitely less than a day.

The cell was still dark, wet and hot and it was hard to tell what time it was. Being unconscious for as long as she had before she woke up here, her internal clock wasn't too reliable either.

At least by now she had figured out why she couldn't communicate with Sentinel. She could feel the spirit's presence around her, but her mind was far too silent. Maira could only guess they had put a seal on her. Besides, she had recently become aware of something foreign on her forehead, that she couldn't reach thanks to her cuffs.

The footsteps returned. Maira stilled in anticipation. They came closer and closer. Suddenly, the door to her cell was swung open. Two guards in Illuminati coats were on the other side, steel clubs in hand.

But what could Maira do? She was chained, unable to reach Sentinel and with no guns. And she still couldn't _fucking _speak. All she could do while they lifted her up and dragged her away was stubbornly stuggled against them.

Her feet dragged behind her as they went. The air was stuffy and the corridor dark. Maira wondered if they were taking here where they'd taken Sheela. Wherever that was, it couldn't be good. She was probably going to die down there.

She barely manged to keep in a sob when the realization hit her. She was going to die and there was nothing that could be done about it. Angel and Leah weren't going to rescue her. _Rin _wasn't going to save her like he had with the vampire.

Maira bit her lip in an attempt to keep in the tears. All this pain and misery so she could die a year after everyone else. Inwardly, she wondered what Logan ever saw in her that was worth protecting and dying for.

She hadn't noticed when her captors entered an elevator. Nor did she notice the sudden change of scenery, from dark tunnels to an all-white room that reminded of an infirmary, except for the fact that instead of beds, the room was lined with wooden tables with manacles on them. Maira only noticed where she was when she was thrown into the room and the door was shut behind her.

Maira allowed herself to sniffle, as pitiful as it was. Instead of completely breaking down in tears though, she decided to take a look around the room. Save for the tabled and rows upon rows of shelves filled with colorful bottles, the room seemed empty.

Until that is, something moved in the corner.

Still kneeling on the floor, Maira attempted to back away towards the door. Her horror faded just a little when she saw that her assailant was a blond man in a wheelchair. A man whom she could have recognised easily; Lucifer. Despite inhabiting vessels, he and Mephisto looked alike, especially around the eyes. They both also seemed to have tufts of hair that just refused to stay close to their scalps.

"Maira Kazume, I presume?" Lucifer asked politely- and completely out of nowhere. In her stupor, all she did was nod.

Lucifer studied her silently from the other side of the room. Maira realized how bad she looked; dirty, probably bloodied and on the verge of tears. Not that it mattered what Lucifer thought of her. He didn't seem about to kill her though, and that was what worried her.

"I suppose I should apologize for my guards." He non-chalantly. "Had I known how bad your condition was, I would have instructed them to be more gentle."

"My... condition?"

Lucifer cocked his head to one side. "My... agent was quite forceful in subduing you. You lost quite a bit of blood during transportation too. Not to mention, you must feel very vulnerable without your ally."

Maira pursed her lips and looked down. _Crap_. Lucifer could play her like a puppet if he knew too much.

"Do not worry though, we did not go through all this trouble to kill you now." Lucifer continued.

"That's my problem." Maira snapped, finding some of her courage. "The rest of my team is dead, right? So why _go through all this trouble_ for one person?"

"The other Branded is not dead. She has been...exchanged for something. Not with my brother's Order, of course. That role is yours alone. I believe you are familiar with the Illuminati's cause?"

"You want to unify Assiah and Gehenna."

"Yes, that's right. A lot of people do not know that these two worlds were one, once. I simply seek to return them to their former state."

"You mean bring back Satan." Maira, despite the fact that she could die with nothing more than a snap of his fingers, was growing impatient with the crippled demon.

"Well, yes. Satan's fall from the Heavens is the reason Gehenna exists. The One above did not want him to harm his creation. I was there, you know. I followed my father into that wretched abyss. And so did your Mephisto, my brother Samael." A muscle twitched in his chin as he spoke.

"The agent sent to subdue you has quite the inforamtion on you. The Order you are so faithful to had been using you as a weapon. An unstable, expendable weapon."

Maira felt as though he had just slapped her. She already knew the Order didn't exactly see her a person, and that was fine. It was the next words she dreaded.

"Alexander Logan was meant to be the one to train you. He, too, didn't seem to see you as nothing more than that, even when you were still a child." He smirked at her pained expression.

"I will not continue, as you are already too weak. But, I must ask of you to contemplate on whether the True Cross Order is worth dying for."


	32. The Sun in her Eyes

She was leaning over the monitor, obscuring the screen with her long, golden hair.

Shima wasn't stupid; she was doing it on purpose, trying to hide Maira from him. Not that it mattered. Amaterasu frowned.

"She's not moving." She pointed out.

"Maybe she's tired?" Thank goodness Castillo left the room as soon as Amaterasu entered; she'd have showered him in nudges and death glares by now. Somehow, the demon didn't seem to mind him running his mouth at all.

"Perhaps." She said, although not convinced. "But, would you stay so... still, after finding out your whole life has been a lie?"

Shima didn't need to think on that. Then again, answering immediately would only confuse Amaterasu further, and the last thing he needed was for her to get suspicious. Instead, he pretented to think on it for a moment.

"No." _That's why I'm here._ He added silently, hoping Amaterasu wouldn't noticed the tension in his voice.

She leaned back, casting her glance upwards and closed her eyes. "You want to see her, don't you?"

Shima tensed. What the hell was he supposed to say?!

"I am seeing her right now." She opened her eyes, two green orbs rolling towards him.

"Yes, I suppose you are." She said amused.

Amaterasu was right. Maira was way too still, crouched in the corner of her cell. The guards that dropped her back in didn't report a change in her behaviour either. She didn't struggle when they dragged away, and never once did she look up and say anything. One of them was bright enough to admit that she scared him.

Shima couldn't really blame him for feeling so; everytime his eyes wandered to the screen, he couldn't help but feel like there was a storm coming. And yet, she was huddled in there, all alone with no way of fighting back.

"You can't go down there to see her either." He said suddenly.

"It depends. If she falls for it, I will just have to pretend to be Leah Song again. Otherwise, we might have to kill her."

* * *

"You wish to hear more?" Lucifer sounded impressed.

"I want to ask you something." Maira said, trying to sound courageous and brave and not exhausted and famished.

Lucifer leaned back into his wheelchair with satisfied smile. "Go on."

"Who was it?" She asked the question that had been gnawing at her since she woke up in the cell. It probably wasn't Sheela, but Maira was certain she wanted to rule her out yet. _Something wrong with Leah_.

"No one you know in person. Although...well, I cannot tell you. That wouldn't be very good for the spy."

"So what?" She meant to sound defiant, since it seemed to amuse him and make him even more chatty, but it came out as a whimper, pitiful and desperate.

"It's not like I can get out of here." She continued still, determined to find the traitor. Her team didn't mean much to her, but Maira would be damned if she was the last survivor of anything _again_. Someone had sold them out and she was going to find him. And she did...

"What will you do once you know?" Lucifer asked.

Maira had entertained numerous fantasies of that occasion. She would make it a slow, painful death. Or maybe she wouldn't kill him at all; she'd give him enough to survive, just barely. Then he'd wish he had died in the womb.

At the thought, a toothy grin appeared on her face, an expression that would make normal humans think twice about even glancing at her. Lucifer however...he was different.

Stumbling, he stood up, supporting himself with a pair of crutches. Maira watched him as he walked towards a tool tray and grabbed a rag. Slowly but steadily, he made his way to her. And much like Logan used to do when she was little, he wiped away the seal on her forehead.

The fact that a demon king was basically giving her the option to try and kill him was unsettling. The fact that she had just compared him with the man she used to think of as a father was...sickening. Perhaps, however, the similarities were strong. Logan had used her, and Lucifer was only giving her the illusion of choice.

Suddenly, Sentinel's presence spilled over her mind. Maira actually felt stronger now; phantom wind blowing through her hair and phantom fingers caressing her still filthy flesh. It was the only comfort she'd been given in her time here.

Lucifer studied her carefully before returning to his wheelchair, a crease on his forehead declaring that standing up was much too difficult for him. Once settled, he glanced at her again.

"Before we continue, I want to make one thing clear." He announced. "For every question you ask, you will have to answer one as well."

Maira should feel threatened and scared, but she didn't. Since Lucifer already knew all there was to know about her, there wasn't much reason for him to ask anything. Maybe he was just bored- goodness knew Mephisto did the darnest things when bored.

She realized he was expecting a response, so she simply nodded.

* * *

When the guards took her back to her cell, Maira's head was buzzing. She didn't know how long she'd been in that room with Lucifer, but now that her mind was somewhat more focused with Sentinel in it, she realized how odd it was for her to speak with him. With the questions he asked, it was obvious that he either knew the answer or just asked out of boredom.

Her questions however, he regarded with high interest. He could still hear him in her back of her mind.

_The sun in her eyes._

Why the hell was he suggesting her a book?!

Maybe she was going crazy, or maybe he was, but no matter how you looked at it, the wholse situation was ridiculous.

A thought occured to her that hadn't before. What if he used their talks as 'proof' that she was on his side? The Grigori wouldn't hear her, she was just a weapon to them. And if they're weapon went rogue...

Hopefully Eva would find her and kill her in her sleep.

* * *

Leah thumbed the lace of her choker, deep in thought.

Portraying Amaterasu and fooling even Lucifer had been ridiculously easy. It did help that Amaterasu had agreed to help, of course. Her aura was amplified, so what Lucifer sensed Leah to be was basically a new car. It was funny in a way, fooling both her brother and the firstborn of Satan.

Lewin had been very thorough in his instructions as well, and Leah's guise was perfect. Getting Eva off her trail had been easy; stupid woman was too stubborn to let the past go. What did unnerve her though was Shima.

They'd been dancing around each other, taking two steps forward and two steps back with every encounter. Everytime she felt he was coming close to finding out her secret, she had to bring up Maira. Regardless of his original intentions, the girl had grown on him and he seemed to feel guilty.

But Leah couldn't know for sure and right now she couldn't care. She was in the wolf's den, figthing a war she had no real interest in; the big picture was not enough to motivate her. Still, she was here because she was the only one who could; she found her way into Lucifer's inner circle and effectively rendered Eva unreliable. All that was left was to find a way to get Maira out.

* * *

**Sooo yeah. I lied about Leah.**

**But hey, if Shima can do it in canon, then Leah can do it in a fanfic, and better. Also, my goal for the next few chapters is to drive poor Maira completely insane before unleashing her upon the unsuspecting masses.**

**And it's gonna be **_**so**_** much fun (for me).**

**P.S: The Sun in her Eyes is in fact a book by Paige Toon. Y'know, in case you were wondering.**


	33. And the Greatest Lie of All

**Sorry for the long wait! This chapter almost broke me spiritually...Leah is actually much harder to write, somehow...**

* * *

Maira had grown accustomed to talking with Lucifer in that lab of his. Three days in a row she'd gone up there, and she was slowly gaining his trust. At least, she _thought_ she was; he'd wiped the seal on her forehead away, which he either trusted her enough not to do anything stupid, or he just didn't think a famished girl with a lowly air demon could harm him.

Regardless, when she was brought to that lab a fourth time, she didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. He'd be there, in his little wheelchair with his little, annoying riddles and unnecessary questions. Questions she still didn't thin were useful to him in any way. But hey, if it got her closer to identifying the traitor, she would have to make do.

Only this time he wasn't. The lab was void of people, and Maira already knew the guards that brought her there left until it was time to return to her cell. So Maira, took the chance to explore the lab a little; there was only so much one could notice while kneeling on the floor. Besides the tables with the manacles, the room looked like any other infirmary. The bottles in the cabinets looked old and there were no labels on them. Maira rummaged through the drawers, but found nothing out of the ordinary; syringes, scapels, bandages.

Then the tables. With her senses amplified, Maira could _smell_ the blood that used to be on them. But it seemed old, like whoever had bled on them had likely died of natural causes by now. Although, she doubted he's lived through whatever made him bleed; these tables weren't meant for medical attention.

She found a leather bound book on a workbench. Albeit closed, it was easy to tell it was old; the leather was worn and grey and the pages inside were yellowed. She flipped it over, and noticed- with some disappoinment- that it was a Bible. But why would Lucifer of all people read the Bible?

Perhaps he wasn't worried about stumbling on any fatal verses. No, he was too powerful for them. Still, the first time they'd met, he expressed his hatred for God; at least, Maira assumed he was talking about God- the One Above kind of implied it. Maira sighed, letting the worn book rest back on the steel surface.

"You're still too deep underground to escape."

Maira almost jumped when she heard the voice. Slowly she turned, feeling dread building up in her stomach.

"Hello, Mai." Leah, who had been in the room long enough to sit on one of the beds, said with a cool smile on her face.

"What's going on?" Maira demanded.

Leah slid off the bed, sighing. "You _know_ what's going on. You were always smarter than you let on."

Maira didn't know what to say. Instinctively, she took a step back from the approaching woman. Leah came to a stop in front of her and tucked a stray lock behind her ear.

"This is temporary. For you, at least. You're getting out."

"I don't-"

"Listen to me." Leah commanded, exasperated. "They weren't supossed to keep you captive. I... I had arranged for you to be exchanged and rescued during transportation, but Lucifer used Sheela instead."

"Why?" Maira's voice was small. Within one month, she'd learned how three of the people closest to her were using her and it was beginning to built up. This was the last drop.

"Because I had to." Leah answered, as if it were obvious. Her eyes softened just a fraction and Maira realized that her fists were clenched and glue to her sides, like when she was a toddler. She took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to lose her cool, not by a long shot.

"I had to tell Lucifer the truth about the Order and you." Leah continued. "But the fact that they see you as a weapon isn't important, not right now."

"Logan knew about this." Maira whispered, feeling pangs of pain in her chest.

"Yes. But he didn't share that opinion. He went along with it because the Grigori's other otion was taking you away from your family. I...I know that growing up away from them would be better, but being raised as a weapon to begin with?" Leah shook her head. "Logan wouldn't hear about it."

"So now what? I just waltz out of here?"

Leah smirked the way she did when she was about to do something stupid. Maira didn't exactly feel comforted by the familiarity though.

"Yes. You're gonna pretend to be Lucifer's little puppet and spy on Angel for him. Of course, Lightning will tell you what to report; if you can keep the Illuminati two steps behinds my brother, I may have a chance of tearing the organisation apart from inside out."

"And if not? If they find you out?" Maira asked. She should have been enraged by the situation, but Leah had a plan. Leah always had a plan...

"I'm not alone. Someone else will do it in my stead."

Maira almost asked her who it was, but the smirk that played at her lips practically gave it away.

_No way..._

* * *

_"I do not like underhanded methods like that."_ The voice rang out through her head. It was enough to give her a headache.

"Which is why it was my plan, not yours. But you'll go along with it, won't you?" Leah whispered, glancing around her room, wondering if she was being watched.

Amaterasu gave an indignant 'hmph', but her presence didn't falter. She was on board.

_"I do hope you have not forgotten about the other one. It would be a shame if they weren't on the same page."_ Doubtfull, of course.

"I'll take care of it. For all I know that boy will fall for it faster."

_"He better. If not-"_

"Yes, yes, we kill him, Mai kills _me_, you're trapped here with Lucifer. Good times."

Amaterasu, although lacking a physical form, shifted around.

_"And what will you do with this, then? Remember the one who gave it to you, she can be your downfall."_

"The mission's downfall." Leah mumbled as she sat up in her bed. Of course, Amaterasu was referring to the Deathbells, in the darkest corner of the room. And Moriyama.

"The poison isn't enough to hurt him, which is why you're here now." Leah explained. "Sunlight corrodes it, you see. Makes the poison even more effective and in Lucifer's state...well, he can't take too many risks with that vessel of his."

_"But before that..._"

"Shima."

* * *

Finding him had been the easiest part, for sure. Mostly because Shima was about to knock when she opened her door.

For a moment, he seemed to lose his nerve. Then, he straightened up and Leah saw his throat contort as he swallowed back- nervousness?

"Uh, hi." Leah would have winced in sympathy if she wasn't pretending to be a cold-hearted demon she-bitch. A term she used for Amaterasu that said demon should never, ever hear.

Instead, she cocked an eyebrow and, despite Shima being the person she was looking for, gave him an impatient look. All it took to convince the Illuminati was arrogance and superiority, it seemed.

Shima shifted from one leg to the other, trying to figure out how to word whatever it was that bothered him.

"Well?" She said, still pretending to be impatient.

"I...I heard you went to see Maira." He said finally. He looked up at her, with a look of semi-determination. She still scared him, at least.

"I did."

"I thought Lu- _Lord_ Lucifer didn't want her to see either of us." He explained.

Leah involunatrily stuck out her bottom lip at him. True enough, he definitely wasn't the boy that had stumbled across Maira's underwear and nearly died of a nosebleed. Or maybe he didn't want to appear as that boy anymore. Regardless, it was painfully obvious that Maira was his Achilles' heel, just as much as she was to Leah herself.

Which made using him that much easier.

"I suppose so. But, as you can see, not much happened." Leah said. She knew she was spurring his curiousity by being vague, but she couldn't stand there all day and lie to him about what was happening. She was going to have to tread carefully; as Amaterasu pointed out, Maira might not be as strong an encouragement as she thought.

Shima looked at her expectantly. Oh yes, he was caught in her web.

"She is quite... angry. Then again, who wouldn't be? Betrayed by everyone she loves..." Leah made sure to use just enough ire to get the message across. The boy almost did a double take.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly. Leah smirked at that.

"Something on your mind? Kazume can't be the only thing you wanted to talk to me about..."

"I...She was." He gave up.

"I see. Perhaps your loyalty to Lord Lucifer isn't as deeply rooted as we thought."

Panic.

"Of course it is! I was just-"

"Somehow I doubt that. I've walked amongst you hairless apes for eons now; I can tell when one is lying." Of course Leah was messing with him. But, in Shima's panic, the boy was more susceptible to suggestion.

"Follow me. We will straighten this out once and for all."

After a moment of wordless struggle, Shima shrugged and deigned to follow her. She lead him towards the section of the bunker that wasn't used as much as the others. Towards the supplies, in other words.

Once away from anyone's earshot, Leah rolled on the balls of her feet, trying to figure out her next moves. Terrorizing him any further wouldn't help; then again, she needed to make sure he couldn't escape if she failed.

And with that, Leah felt Amaterasu's power surge through her, the cherry blossom on her chest swelling with power.

"Now then, Renzo Shima." She said, immediately catching his attention. "Time to find out who you are."

* * *

**I am pretty sure I just copied a Doctor Who line there. I'll get over it, eventually.**

**Sooooo, Leah is trying to play evil matchmaker. And poor Shima doesn't even know what he's getting into.**


	34. The Plans

Shima tried to blink the headache away. It didn't really help, instead it made him even more disoriented. He had fallen down and in his blurry vision, all he could see was Song's golden hair, shining even in the dim light.

With a groan, he tried to sit up. He felt like someone had reached down his throat and stirred his guts. That was by far the worst feeling he'd ever experienced. Song's frame came into focus. She was standing over him with a wicked smile, her arm slightly raised and faintly glowing. Had she pushed him? He didn't remember.

"I see." She said quietly, although he was sure she was talking to herself. Then, she looked down at him expectantly. Shima shuffled to his feet, still trying to remember what had happened.

"What happened?" He mumbled, hand clutching his head.

"I took the liberty of seeing how far you'd go for Lucifer...and for Maira." She gestured to the middle of his chest. He looked down, only to see the cloth that should be covering it singed, as if he had been burned. But the flesh underneath was still white and smooth.

He frowned up at her, waiting for a better explanation.

"That was a stupid move, don't you think? Using her as a false front." Leah continued. "Really, did you expect that there would be no consequences?"

"I don't... What are you talking about?" His head still hurt. A lot.

Leah's smug smile suddenly turned to a pout, as if she was annoyed by the fact that he didn't follow. "You thought you could use her. Should've researched her a little more, you know. Maira always had a way of worming her way into people's good sides. But, she's not very forgiving, you know. She'll kill you if she sees you again."

"So? I'm not supposed to go down there anyway." Shima said defensively. However, he was freaking out. He didn't know what game Song was playing, but he knew he didn't want in. And he didn't want Maira in it either.

"No, but she'll come up here." Leah replied, reveling in the confusion that crossed his face.

"We both know why you're here. And it's not because you believe in any of Lucifer's 'visions'."

He knew he wasn't getting out of this. Even if he did summon Yamantaka to attack her... well, she was faster and more experienced. Besides, he didn't really want to lose his only connection to Maira.

"What do you want from me?" It felt like the right question to ask. The approving smile that spread over her face was all the proof he needed.

"We're getting Maira out of here. No shady bussiness, we just vouch for her to be sent as a spy to the Order."

He almost wondered out loud how that wasn't shady bussiness, but stopped himself. Instead, he asked, "And then?"

"Then, we get Castillo out of the equation as well."

* * *

Maira wondered why she hadn't just killed Leah in the lab. It would be easier and way more satisfying than playing good and pretending to be a good little spy.

Unfortunately, Sentinel didn't quite agree with that approach. Probably because she knew Maira would be killed off after that, while going back to the order would be more prefferable.

And everything else Leah said... Maira wasn't sure if she should believe her. Perhaps in Logan's case it had been true. But there had been no sigh of remorse on Renzo's face when he left. When she almost stopped died. Just thinking about it made her eyes sting. Still, she did. It wasn't like there was anyone else there that would judge her for crying.

She thought back to the way they were before; Shima talking freely about his family and the way he felt towards them, feeling almost forced to be Bon's friend.

_No, _she thought, if he had been using her all along he wouldn't have bothered telling her any of those things. He'd be too paranoid that she'd figure him out.

She remember the way he held her when she found out Leah was alive. She remember burrying her head in his shoulder and memorizing his scent; soap and sun-warmed glass. She wanted to feel that way again, like being herself wasn't a punishable offense, flaws and whatnot.

Footsteps echoed down the hall and Maira rose. Lucifer would be delighted to hear what she had to say.

He was waiting for her in the lab, just like any other time. In his lap rested the leather-bound Bible Maira had found earlier open at the first pages, but he hadn't been reading when she walked in.

"I believe the time for idle chatter is over." He said.

For an agonizing moment, Maira worried that Leah had double crossed her. Again. But, his tone didn't inticate her imminent death.

"Have you considered the things I told you?" He asked. Good, at least they were on the same page, somewhat.

"Yes." She said and looked down, hoping that he would take the gesture as humility and not an obvious attempt at lying her ass off. "And you were right. The Order has never seen me as anything but a weapon, to be replaced when dysfunctional. I don't want to die fighting for them."

It almost seemed like a different world back then, but once Maira's loyalty had indeed gone to that extend. The Order had been there to guide her through being the only one who saw demons in her family. She owed them that much. But, in truth, she didn't want to die like a nameless Exorcist anymore.

"Good. You see, there was another reason I wanted you here. If I am to unite Assiah with Gehenna again, I'll need something to show the righteousness of my cause. A mortal and a demon, working in harmony towards the same goals is just that symbol I require."

Maira almost reminded him about Leah. Fortunately, she remembered in time that, as far as Lucifer was concerned, Leah was gone and only Amaterasu remained.

"Well, then. You will be moved from your cell today. I cannot let you wander, even inside the facility, for obvious reasons. Your training will begin tomorrow." He announced suddenly.

"Training?" She asked, almost stupidly. "Sir." She added as an afterthought.

"The Order has been reluctant to start the war in earnest. We can use that hesitation on their part to our benefit. You will be sent back to the Vatican, and garner whatever plans they've made. You will be called back, eventually, and that will be the day the war truly begins."

* * *

**OH MY GOD IT'S FINALLY OVER.**

**And extremely short, pardon me. I just couldn't get anything else in there. I guess (and hope) that this chapter will serve as more of a transition. Sorry for the long wait, and for the disappointment. But hey, Shima stills loves Maira, so that's something.**

**I think.**


	35. Corrosion

Maira would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. She was second guessing her decision to play along too, once again. But instead of being curled up in a dank corner of a dank cell, she was curled up on an actual bed, in an actual room.

To make things better- or worse, depending on speculation- she had finally taken a shower. And damn, she felt good. Sentinel didn't seem to share in the feeling though. She squirmed and argued- as much as a Will-o'-the-wisp disguised as an aura can- about how they should be finding a way to get out instead.

It wasn't long before her own unease and Sentinel's constant mumbling drove her to start pacing in the bare room, biting her nails as she went. What sort of training did Lucifer had in mind? Obviously it wasn't combat, but Maira didn't see any logical reason why she was considered more fit to do it. Lucifer could just as well sent Leah back- she already knew the ins and outs of the whole bussiness, and the Order would be sure to trust a high ranking Exorcist's word over hers- she had been accused of being a spy before, by Renzo's dad. Of course, one could say that he was in denial about his son's betrayal.

Perhaps Lucifer just wanted to rub it in the Grigori's faces; the Branded belongs to me now. And, besides Leah, Maira was the only Branded they could use in a battle. The others they had tracked down were normal, boring people who just happened to be accompanied by demons through their boring, daily routines. And Sheela hadn't been experienced in fighting against demons either.

Maira realized how desperate the Order must have been to sent an outsider and a teenager who'd barely finished her education on such a high profile mission. One that Leah said would be hard to survive. Huh. Leah had been hinting her imminent betrayal for a while. Blundering idiot.

Maira stopped her pacing, suddenly feeling _annoyed_. Why did people think dragging her into shit was a good idea? Why couldn't they take someone else with them?

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

Maira had barely opened the door when he stormed in. She hesitated to look at him; she hadn't expected to see him so soon. She wasn't even sure she wanted to see him yet.

Slowly, she shut the door and turned, to find a red faced Renzo standing in the middle of her room, hands covering his face. Taking a deep breath, he run his fingers through his hair, and the look on his face screamed exhaustion. It was like looking at Kinzo, only where his hair was yellow, Renzo's was pink. Although, the dye was reciding, showing black roots.

"You look... older." She didn't know what else to say; sure, she could chew him out about all the emotional stress he caused her, but now that she _knew_...it just didn't seem worth it.

He let his hands fall to his sides, and looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "So do you." There was a sliver of affection in his voice, but the tone wasn't familiar to her. He sounded...strained.

"Mai, it's me. _It's me_." He said, despair creeping into his voice.

"I can see that...?"

He let out a sigh of relief. "So you're not gonna kill me?"

"Why would I ki- Why did you come down here if you thought I'd kill you?"

"'Cause I deserve it? I should've-"

"Renzo." She didn't approach him. He was still standing in the middle of the room, and she was still standing by the door. He was different, but not in a strange way.

"Leah, she- she wanted me to tell you-"

"Tell me what?" She tried to stop him from hyperventilating.

"You can't tell anyone what's going on. Not even Angel. Leah says that Lighting is in it too, but she thinks it's too early to involve him. Maira, you can't tell anyone-"

"I understand. I play along for as long as Leah needs me to."

"That's the thing. You can't really spy for Lucifer either. Any information you relay has to be fake."

Maira stared at him for a few moments. "I thought he had other spies in the Order."

"He did. Angel managed to find a lot of them, drove the others into hiding. Lucifer doesn't have any reliable sources in the Vatican anymore."

"So I'm straight up lying to everyone." Her tone was harsher than she wanted it to be. He winced.

"I- I really messed up." He said sadly. "I just...I didn't even know until I was told to bring Izumo in."

"But you did."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Renzo moved towards her, hands extended. Maira found herself backing into the wall.

Faltering, he stopped and looked at his feet. "I need to go now."

And with that, he left. Maira got the sudden urge to grab him as he passed by her, but fought it down. What good would that do?

Later, when she had calmed down somewhat, so found herself staring in the mirror. Had she really changed?

Yes, she was certainly thinner- the training regime Leah had imposed on her before this mess along with the semi-starvation that followed had erased what was left of a year of _not_ working out. She must've grown an inch or so too; she didn't have to crane her neck all the way up to look at Renzo, even though he had certainly gotten taller.

There were dark circles under her eyes and, when she lifted her shirt, a sizable scar over her stomach. A scar from a burn, to be exact. Inwardly she wondered why Iblis was a Demon King and not an underling of Lucifer's. Fire and light were pretty similar after all.

* * *

Leah's hands were engulfed in a soft, yellow glow as they hovered above the Deathbell. She had been standing like this for a while now, but too much light too fast could burn through the petals and render the plant useless. And Leah hadn't gone through all the trouble to get it just to throw it out now.

Shima didn't bother knocking this time. He barged in, almost making Leah fall over and into the poor plant below her. She half tuned to chastise him, but stopped when she saw his face.

He was flushed. It wasn't because he had been running though.

"Guess it didn't go well?" She stated more than asked.

"It...it went." He said with uncertainty. "She's... different."

"Different how?"

"Well, she was...y'know, aloof and quiet and all those things and I thought-"

"Maira was never aloof. Or quiet. As far as I can remember, you needed duct tape to get her to shut up. Grief really changes a person."

Shima made an exasperated gesture, but he didn't speak.

"Look, she'll come around eventually. She's still on our side."

He shrugged, obviously growing uncomfortable with the subject.

"What do you think's been going on in the Vatican?"

* * *

**Soooo everything's been taking me too long lately. And it's not because it's somehow getting better. The writing, that is.**

**Well. This is extremely underwhelming.**


	36. Pastries, Phones and Lots of Talking

Time was running out. Her training so far had been deemed adequate, which proved how little he thought of the Order. It had been only two weeks of training, although it was very taxing. Her mentor, a man who'd apparently been in the Order before her, had told her that everything else relied on experience- which should have meant Maira didn't stand a chance.

Regardless, Lucifer didn't have many options left. With all his spies in the Order gone, Maira was the only one they'd suspect the least. She was their pet project after all.

But she was still held prisoner in her own room. And while it meant that she wasn't going to run into Castillo, seeing the same boring walls day in and day out drove her crazy. The fact that Shima had been dropping by a lot more often than she expected only served to put her even more on edge. Their past was still a sore subject and, when put into perspective, there was nothing else to really talk about. It didn't take long for her to realise that even hanging out with him was better than solitude.

He seemed to prefer her company over Leah's too. Apparently, the older woman had been freaking out, second guessing her own plans in case smething went wrong. Shima had guessed that she had been stressed since the begining and that was only showing now. Lucifer and Castillo hadn't noticed anything in her facade though. Maira would rather they didn't talk about it anymore than they had to, and he's been more than happy to stop.

And start eating her food.

"What does cafeteria food taste like?" She wandered out loud as he gulped down a mouthfull of salad.

"I doubt it's food." He said with a semi-apologetic grin.

He was sitting at her desk, the tray spread in front of him. Maira, on the other hand, was sitting cross legged on her bed. That was about the most distance she could put between them.

"How come you don't eat?" he asked suddenly, fork hovering over spaghetti.

"No appetite." She replied, looking down at her ever- slimming form. "I feel like I'm eating rocks."

He nodded, wiping bread crumbs from his mouth hastily. "I know what you mean. I-" He stopped momentarily and looked up at her . "You know."

Truth be told, Maira didn't _know_. It was obvious he was referring to the time before he left the Academy, but they had become distant a week before he did. And other that bomb he'd dropped on her, he hadn't done or said anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, a little thought sparked in the back of her mind.

"You knew. About Leah. You knew she was alive." It was more of a statement rather than a question and she thought she ought to be more angry at him than she really was.

"I- Well, it's not like I could have told you, you know. Besides, I hadn't spoken with her once before meeting you!" He said quickly, as if panic was slowly taking over.

"Then... who told you to infiltrate the Illuminati?" She wasn't afraid of being heard; hardly anyone ever walked in these halls, and the walls were think enough to block out her voice. Also, Shima had _borrowed_ the registration card of the guy responsible for the video footage. So no one even knew where Shima was.

"Lightning." He answered, as if it were obvious. "He's actually the one behind this. Lucifer wouldn't be as quick to trust him though, so we went with Leah and myself."

A small wave of relief washed over her. But, Maira had become determined to find out whatever he and Leah were hiding from her. She felt drawn to his answers like a moth to a flame.

"The Illuminati approached me before I left for the Academy. Lightning was... keeping tabs on the agents that talked to me, and he came for me himself."

Maira allowed herself to lean back, somewhat more comfortable. In the back of her mind though, she was wondering about the teeny, tiny pause he gave before answering.

* * *

Bon stared at the messy room, only now realising how long it'd been since the last time he was in it. Shima's room was a totall mess, and it's last occupant was partly to blame.

Maira's phone, the reason he'd even bothered coming in in the first place, was sitting on top of the unmade bed, ringing furiously like it had been for the last two hours. He took it gingerly, as if it might come alive in his hand.

The picture of a blonde girl was the first thing he noticed. Under it was the name Felix. Maira didn't have any European friends on campus and, if his short acquaintace with her was of any value, she generally didn't have any friends outside of the Exwires. Bon concluded that the person calling was the sister she's lost the night Shima kidnapped Izumo.

With a heavy sigh he dropped the phone back on the bed, not bothering to hang up on her or at least silence it. He had better things to do than act as Maira's secretary- like the extra classes Okumura had imposed on them.

Despite the Exorcist Exams being postponed indefinitely, the young teacher had been working them to the bone. It had gotten so ridiculous that no one had managed above an eighty on the last test, hence the extra classes.

While Bon himself didn't exactly care why Okumura was so stressed, Rin had been worrying himself sick. Between the twins and Shima clawing at the back of his mind, Bon had not been the happiest person lately. His own phone buzzed in his pocket but instead of a very insistent caller, he was faced with a class reminder.

* * *

Okumura was standing outside the classroom when Bon and Konekomaru arrived. With him was professor Tsubaki, and the two were speaking in hushed, yet vivid, whispers.

"Are you sure? We haven't heard from them since deployment." Okumura argued, crossing his arms against his chest.

"That's what they're worried about. I heard they're giving it another week before calling it a failure." Tsubaki shook his head in dismay.

"And the Paladin? What's he saying?"

Tsubaki was about to answer when he noticed them standing in the hallway. With a heavy shrug, he whispered somethign to Okumura and left, nodding at the two boys.

When Okumure truned to face them, Bon realised what had Rin worrying about. There were black rings slowly appearing under his eyes and even they were dulled with exhaustion. How come he hadn't noticed earlier?

"Something wrong?" He hated asking the obvious but, judging by how they were talking about whatever it was, he probably needed to.

"No. Not at all." Yukio ushered them inside, putting on a fake reassuring smile.

Something was wrong, all right.

* * *

**This was gonna be at least 1.500 words originally. I really struggled with it though, and I haven't had a lot of free time to work on it either. Other than that... well, Shima and Maira are on speaking terms. Again.**

**In the earliest chapters I was completely inexperienced and uncomfortable with writing romance. I still am, obviously, but I wanted them to have a reason to be together this time around, instead of just announcing it out of nowhere. So for now, they'll be chatting. About other things than their pasts, that is.**


	37. Shipped

Shima was walking to Leah's room, stomach churning.

Lying to her should have been easier. Not pleasant, obviously, but after doing it for so long, one would think it would be easy. Well, it wasn't. Now Shima had something else to pin at Leah.

Of course Lewin hadn't contacted him. No one knew about that Illuminati agent, not his parents, not Bon and definitely not the Order. But Maira wouldn't be so quick to trust him if he told her truth; that he was tired of it all, tired of his family and Bon and everything that was expected of him. He was pretty sure something like that would end with his entrails splattered. Or worse.

He stepped into her room, only to find her the same way he'd left her yesterday; hunched over that trice-damned plant, fingers glowling slightly.

"It shouldn't take that long, should it?" He asked out loud. The amount of time it for her to respond was big- too big for someone like her.

She turned to face him, though careful not to move her hands. Her face was completely pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were only making it worse. Her hair was matted and her eyes were dull, almost as if she wasn't really there.

"Yeah..." She murmured. Shima made an effort to peek over her shoulder and see how far it had gone. He wasn't sure how the plant should look, but he was pretty sure that it used to be blue, once. Now it was the color of an aged banana- literally.

He hesitated for a second before reaching out and shaking her slightly. "I think it's done." Leah, despite the second, rougher shake, didn't move a muscle. Shima frowned, _Was it possible that Amaterasu was truly taking over?_

This time he skipped all formalities and pulled her away. She fell backwards, hours spent on her knees rendering them weak. The fabric of her clothes swirled around her and finally clung to her. Shima wondered when was the last time she ate properly. Even through the fabric, it was easy to start counting ribs.

"I'm not done!" She protested, and desperately tried to crawl back to it. Shima watched on, completely apalled. Once again, Leah cupped her hands over the flowers, but nothing happened. No glowing.

Leah let out a pained howl, like a wounded animal. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't like this, at all. He reached out to her again, this time in an effort to comfort her; she was shaking and sobbing, like she was about to have a panic attack. Then all at once, she shot up and away from him, emitting a low, guttural sound that didn't belong in a human voice box.

"Do_ not_ presume to touch me!" It sounded like two people speaking together. One was definitely Leah, with her high but sure voice. The other was booming and demanding to be obeyed. When she finally turned to look at him, Shima realised just how dead he was. Because there was no way in hell Leah's eyes turned white when someone touched her.

He did back up, although he wasn't sure that leaving would be a good idea. The now really possessed Leah growled at him, two voices mixed together. Something in the way she glared at him told him that, if Amaterasu wanted him dead, he'd already be dead. Heck, even if she was taking her time, he still wouldn't be able to survive her; summoning Yamantaka was too costly, and it really wouldn't help if he wound up passed out on the floor.

"_Make her stop_." She spat out each word like it was his doing... whatever it was.

"I- what?" He asked stupidly, cold sweat already beading on his forehead.

"I don't care if have to tie her down, make her stop _stealing my power!_" She yelled, completely infuriated.

"Stealing?" _What?_

Instead of another annoyed response, she sighed and suddenly Leah crumbled to the floor. After two heartbeats, Shima bent down to check her pulse. She was alive still. Her skin was too hot though, as though she had a fever.

Did demons get the flu? Because he'd really need a good excuse for _that_.

* * *

Leah didn't show up. Neither did Shima.

Maira knew it was for the best- Lucifer had banned them from seeing or talking to her, and he wasn't aware of the number that order had been disobeyed. Still, it would help her feel a little better. Going back into friendly territory would be nice if it weren't for the fact that she was going in as a _triple_ agent. And the fact that she'd immediately be swarmed by Angel, who never really trusted her, because he doesn't trust anyone except Lewin. And she couldn't even ask _him_ for help!

Just how the Hell was she supossed to pull this off without having a heart attack first?!

She was just about to get into the van when Lucifer reached out and tugged at her sleeve. It would have been very childlike, if he wasn't a billions of years old Demon king. Maira turned around just the same, the ever present fear of being discovered hammering in her chest.

"It is not everyday someone throws themselves into danger so willingly." He began, and the paranoid side of Maira shivered.

"Let us hope that the results will exceed expectations." He said finally, and she wasn't sure what to feel; relief, because he was still none the wiser, or misery because even he didn't think she could do it?

Without further ado, Maira was loaded into the van, and well on her way to what was probably the most ill advised decision she'd ever made.

* * *

"I could not help but notice Amaterasu's absense." Lucifer said absently.

He was staring at the ceiling, but Shima knew full well to whom that complaint was directed.

"She is... not feeling well. Her vessel is exhausting, as she put it." He answered. He'd missed Maira's departure because of Leah; according to Amaterasu, she wasn't used to channeling too much power. The result was an extremely weak Leah that managed to act like a junkie. It had gotten so bad in the morning that he had to tie her down in a chair and force feed her, while making sure she didn't try to zap him.

There was a way the lie rolled off his tongue, that made him shiver. It had really gotten easy for him to do it and frankly, it was worrying him. On the bright side, Lucifer still trusted him to a certain point and, unless he had some sort of secret ability to tell when people lied, Shima was good to go. He just had to mix in some truth and consistency, and no one would know any better.

What, or who, did worry him was Castillo. Other than the fact that- as his captain- she was extremely dissapointed with him taking Amaterasu's side, she kept cornering him whenever they were out of Lucifer's office. At first it felt like when Leah did the same thing, but even while pretending to be Amaterasu, Leah could never be nearly as scary as Castillo. Shima had seen the woman take down humans that got in the way, and even recruits that got too nosy, and it wasn't pretty. He knew that, if she ever set her mind to it, he would be dead before he knew what hit him.

For the time being however, she was harmlessly standing next to him, keeping her sight locked on Lucifer's heart monitor. She, unlike everyone else in Lucifer's inner circle, looked _peachy_. She wasn't starved half to death or addicted to sunlight shenanigans or stuck with babysitting someone with the above problems. One would have thought she'd be troubled; she really, really hated the idea of sending Maira in as a spy. In fact, she had suggested simply executing her, since she wasn't going to be traded like the other one had. Lucifer had, for better or worse, listened to Amaterasu's plan instead.

And now Maira was being shipped off.

* * *

Rin blinked once.

Then he blinked again.

A good full minute had passed, and no one had dared moved, or even breathe. Bon was kneeling in front of Lightning, who was casually perched on the teacher's desk. Bon, who had never let anyone boss him around- because no one dared to, really-, was _kneeling_ at the feet of Lightning, who might as well have fallen asleep in that one minute.

Then, the moment of shock was over, ended mercifully by a shrug of the man's shoulders.

"No."

Bon shot right up, an embarrassed blush creeping into his face. "W-what?! Why?"

"You see, I'm not a great teacher. Besides, everyone says you're pretty good on own. Not much I can teach you anyw- oh."

While Bon was basically choking on his next plead, Lightning casually pulled his phone out of his pocket, and smiled at the caller ID.

"Oh my, really? Why, that is wonderful news! Yes, yes! I'll be right there!" He said excitedly once he answered it.

"Well, I'm afraid that is it for today." He waved at the classroom of stunned students and literally ran out, not even bothering to put his things back in his bag- he just gathered them clumsily in his arms and took off.

"W-what... What was that all about?!" Izumo exclaimed suddenly, and Rin wasn't sure if she was referring to Lightning's sudden burst, or Bon's out-of-character... _plead._

* * *

_**This **_**should have been longer. Like, 500 words longer.**

**Anyhow, just read chapters 71-72 of the manga, and I thought I should put Bon asking to be Lewin's apprentice in the story. I am going to be using these two anyway, might as well add even _more_ drama... like Bon's man-crush.**


	38. The Hunt

Maira felt sick. Not because of the dim green light Sentinel's _Chrysalis_ emitted, ot because of the bumpy road the van was currently on. With the tinted window separating her from the driver, Maira was as alone as could be in the crammed up space, finally free to worry about her mission's definite failure.

Even though they were still far away from the Japan Headquarters, she couldn't shake the feeling off. It was like being called on in the classroom to answer a question, only ten times worse. Her stomach was twisting and her palms, albeit sweaty, were cold. She had thought that maybe having Sentinel around in a more literal form would help her, but all the spirit was able to do was cradle her lantern.

With nothing else to do, she started picking at all the faults Leah's plans had so far. One, just because she was a side project didn't mean the Grigori trusted her. Second, infiltration and spying were far, far away from her spectrum of abilities. And three, Angel didn't trust her for sure. Maira didn't know how he'd react to his sister's 'fake death'- which was the second one, by the way- and she really didn't want to find out. Especially since he'd rather have Leah freeloading rather than Maira.

Her mind kept racing, counting in things that probably weren't as bad as the main three in her panic. The procedure only made her feel even more uneasy, and it seemed to be spreading to Sentinel. She had gone from cradling to swinging the lantern idly, pretending to be 'lost in thought'. It continued like that for nearly an hour, Maira having run out of new things to worry about and Sentinel almost dropping the iron container, when the telltale sound of glass breaking made them both stop dead.

Maira recognized the sound as soon as it reached her ears. For all her parents' fighting, she had come to love that noise; she could almost see the tall glass being flung, colliding with the ground in bullet time. Only this time it was no lipstick stained glass.

The van came screeching to a stop, and for a second Maira's head almost hit the metal wall opposite of her. She heard the front doors being opened, then shut again in a hurry. One of the two escorts loaded his gun, the _click_ causing a new panic to spread throughout her body, setting every nerve on edge.

The only way out of the van was through the back door, obviously. She had made sure to listen in when they left the bunker, and knew for a fact that it was locked. With a wave of her hand, Sentinel dissipated- _Chrysalis_, although the most useful ability, was by far the most tiring one and Maira would need her strength if she had to make a run for it. Lucifer had had the decency to give her guns back- except for her brand new sniper rifle, unfortunately- so at least she would be able to defend herself without relying on Sentinel too much.

Gunshot followed, and for a few agonizing seconds, there was complete silence. Then something heavy was flung at the back door of the van, denting it. She crept towards it slowly. Whatever had been thrown wasn't alive- not anymore anyway-, and the escorts, judging by the looks of them, weren't nearly strong enough to lift anything half their weight, much less thrown it hard enough.

No more sounds.

Still, Maira kept still for a few more seconds, hoping that whatever had attacked them couldn't sense her. That was one of the disadvantages of being branded, it would seem; Sentinel's presence could be felt by literally every other demon, since she wasn't strong to conceal it. So, all she could do was hope that they'd come across a very silent bear.

After waiting for what seemed an appropriate amount of time, she kicked the door open. The dent was such that the lock came apart easily and one kick seemed to have done it. With one revolver out, Maira looked around for any signs of enemies. Sure enough, one of the escorts' body was laid at her feet, broken and bleeding. His neck had been broken due to the crash with the vehicle, and his glassy eyes were now looking upwards, beyond her. The second one was out of sight.

She hopped out of the car, landing on all fours to reduce the sound. Nothing. The sun was setting fast, and she'd be damned if she got stranded in the middle of nowhere with two bodies and an unspecified amount of demons that were, no doubt, waiting for her to wander further from the van.

Inwardly, she counted her ammo. It would be enough if it was one demon, barely it if were two and... well. She'd have to hope it was only one. Despite her better judgment telling her otherwise, she did wander from the van. Spending the night with a dead person in a van didn't seem that great an idea, to be honest, but it would be safer. Regardless- and even though she did her best to walk _very_ slowly- the vehicle was nowhere near her sight when the sun dove under the horizon for good.

The moon loomed shyly, shedding very little light. Even with her improved vision it was hard to tell if she was still on the road. The same cold sweat from before washed over her as the battle readiness faded away. She walked a little faster now, shivering at the slightest movement.

It wasn't too long before she heard it. The sound that could once lull her to sleep, now doomed to haunt her: water. It was no pond or lake or river either. There was something dark, sinister in the otherwise inconspicuous sound. Without even realizing it, Maira took off running. Branched and roots tried to stall her, and had she been paying attention she would have thought that they were possessed. But, she wasn't. Her mind had gone blank, and she had withdrawn to her safe place, deep in the back of her mind.

It was like watching a movie; she could see and feel herself move, but couldn't control when to duck and when to jump. Her body acted on it's own, like it had been set on autopilot. She wasn't gaining any distance though. Whatever was hunting her was hot on her heels, the sound of pouring water now sounding more like a giant kettle, on the verge of boiling over.

The realization made her thrust back into consciousness. It wasn't an easy transition either; she felt disoriented, and for just a second she stopped running. At least, she tried to. She had built up enough momentum for the sudden change in speed to literally make her fly forward. Her head collided with a tree bark, hard enough for her ears to ring mercilessly, despite the sound coming closer.

She tried to focus on the figure that approached her, but the darkness veiled it well.

_The huntress becomes the hunted._

* * *

**Well... remember how I said last chapter was shorter than expected?**

**I (attempted) to fix it. Apparently, threatening Maira's life is easier and more fun for me rather than having her lounge around. Huh.**

**Elaine Weasley- Shima will get his turn. Leah has it coming too, but that'll take a while.**

**Aaaalso, Maira is referred to as a huntress here because I realized that she really is a bloodhound when she lets emotions rule over logic. And also the fact that Sentinel -and Amaterasu to an extend- are the only demons she refers to as 'she'. Every other demon is an 'it', except maybe the Demon Kings.**


	39. Arc Knights of the Round Table

**So... the one-shot thing I mentioned in my profile? Didn't work out. I also didn't feel like waking up either of my lazy-asse- I mean, Mai and Leah, so have some Shima with a slice of Angel.**

* * *

Leah was starting to look better, but it wasn't nearly enough for Shima's frazzled nerves.

While the woman was sleeping soundly (with her wrists tied to the bed post), all he could do was pace around the room, considering the possibilities. Lucifer had announced to him and Castillo that the van that was supposed to get Maira to the Japan HQ was found. Burned. They managed to recover two bodies, neither of which matched her DNA. A fact that either meant she had somehow survived whatever had happened, or that she just hadn't been found yet.

Frankly, both possibilities terrified him to no end. Had Leah been awake and completely herself, she'd probably add Maira going rogue to the list. And... well, if Maira could kill two Illuminati agents and burn down the van, she'd likely be coming back to finish the job. A slightly less paranoid part of him was convinced that, regardless of her problems with the mission, Maira wouldn't go this far; perhaps try to run away, but no violently murder anyone.

What he really needed to do was find a way to contact Lewin. Even though the older man couldn't know about his involvement -or Maira's- in the mission, Shima needed to make sure that Leah and himself would be safe. There was no way Lucifer wasn't getting suspicious by now, and Castillo growing confidence only served to decrease his own. Renzo was a good enough spy, but not nearly smart enough to come up with an escape. Whatever back up plans Leah had concocted were trapped with her sanity in her currently unstable body.

With a loud sigh, he fell back into her desk chair. The Deathbell's yellowed petals caught his attention. He'd put the tiny pot on top of her closet, hoping that if she somehow woke up, undid the cuffs and started searching for it, she wouldn't see it up there. Then again, so much of Amaterasu's power had gone into corrupting it, it probably reeked of- whatever a demon's power smells like.

One would think that his own 'bond' with Yamantaka would help him understand the branded's nature, but it really didn't. If anything, when he'd first learned that Maira had a demon tagging along with her, it had bothered him some. Rin turning out to be an actual demon though... well, he'd known the guy for a while longer.

Tearing his eyes from the plant, he wondered if Maira being branded was the reason for all this. Surely, Lucifer would have no use for her if she wasn't. Then again, the Order wouldn't have sent her on the mission in the first place. Hell, maybe she wouldn't have survived her first team.

The last thought made him stop. Leah and Maira, both branded, both survivors. Obviously those two facts were tied in together. In Leah's case, it must have been easier to survive- Amaterasu wasn't just a high level demon. Sentinel, however, was nothing more than a naive Will-o'-the-wisp; by far one of the weakest demons of it's kingdom. To make matters more complicated, Egyn had been there, leading the attack.

There was no way he could have failed killing off an exorcist in training- who was having a panic attack, no less-, not accidentally. Sure, he could have been trying to sent a message, but the Order already knew that demon kings were not to be messed with so easily.

So, what was it that Shima was missing?

* * *

Angel was staring at the girl nervously. Her clothes were ripped up and filthy and she was bleeding. At least, she was when Mephisto encased her in the same crystal he'd used on the son of Satan for his trial. She was frozen in time, her wounds open but not festering or healing.

The more he looked at her, the more human and innocent she seemed. _But she is not_, he decided. Regardless of what his sister preached about her kind, the branded were dabbling with magics and powers they could not control. Anyone who would stoop so low as to work with demons, rather than destroy them, or even bind them to their will, was as dangerous as a weed in a garden. And like a sickle, it was his job to get rid of those weeds.

He leaned back in his chair and tried to tune back into the conversation the branch leaders were having.

"We did inspect the bodies before disposing of them." One Exorcist, who had been called in as a witness, stated. "Unless the girl has ties with water demons as well, she was not behind the slaughter."

"What does it matter if she killed them?" The Chinese Branch manager spoke up, leaning forward.

"It would prove whether or not her allegiance remains with us." Caspar replied. "We only found seventeen of the Exorcists in her assigned mission. The three we couldn't find were the branded." Distaste laced her voice as she uttered the last word, and Angel could understand why.

Those three going rogue was the only possible explanation. The bodies recovered had no signs of struggle on them, which meant that they had not expected to be attacked. Then, there was no blood trace, sweat or even saliva to tell if Leah had even been there. And while Angel had always known that bonding with a demon could only lead to ruin, he was still having trouble believing that his own sister would betray the Order, and him.

His fists clenched involuntarily, and he knew only Lighting had noticed. When he turned his head, he found said man glancing at him with a well-hidden, worried expression.

"Both the Paladin and I can confirm that the girl does not, indeed, have any ties to the Water kingdom. As the Girgori knows very well, she is one of the two that survived Egyn's attack... when was it? Two years ago?" Mephisto proclaimed and even though Angel hated to agree with him, it was true. He'd be surprised if she had been faking her fear of water all this time.

"And who was the other survivor of that attack, sir Pheles? Surely, you can see why we distrust both the child and Chancellor Song." Came the response from Balthazar.

"Perhaps," Interrupted Osceola Redarm, "We should hear the story from her."

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the center of the table, over which hovered the enchanted crystal. The Grigori leaned into one another and begun whispering. Then, Caspar broke away from their circle and cleared her throat.

"She will be taken to the Infirmary and will stay there until she wakes up. Until then, we need to find a way to severe her bond with the demon temporarily."

For the first time in a long time, Angel saw Mephisto hesitate. Unfortunately, it wasn't the unnerved hesitation he wanted to see cross his features. The demon was carefully choosing his next words, preparing his bargain.

"While I cannot say that her demon is harmless, I doubt that it can do much when someone as vigilant and talented as the Paladin is watching over it."

Next to him, Lightning sucked in a big gulp of air. Angel himself reacted no better. "You monster! What are you playing at?!" He only realized that the words had left his mouth when he heard his chair dragging against the stone floor.

"Well, it would make sense that you guard the child, wouldn't it? Out of this council, you're the one that knows her best." Mephisto said, smirking.

Angel, completely fed up with the demon's slyness, turned to the Grigori, hoping that they'd turn down the ridiculous suggestion. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Even though none of their faces were visible, he could just _hear _the gears turning in their heads as they thought it over.

"It is... not entirely false." Lucy Yang said, scratching her chin. "But we've been talking about some witch-child all this time. What are we going to do with the portal?"

Angel sat back down in utter defeat. Surely Mephisto wouldn't be trying to kill him with _her_. He doubted she could even so much as scratch him. There was something about that whole ordeal that simply felt wrong to him though.

The Crystal, along with the witch, had already been transported to the Vatican's infirmary by the time the meeting was done. Of course, it was Angel's new orders to go straight there and keep an eye on things, and he was about to when he saw Mephisto take the same route. Probably to release her from the crystal.

Not wanting to have his dignity stripped further, he turned around, heading for his quarters. Lewin remained in his shadow for a while, not speaking. Just as well; Angel could use the comfort his second in command provided without having to hear his jabs and jokes. The steady sound of their feet pelting against the marble stopped suddenly, as if someone had pressed the stop button.

"Angel..."

"Not now."

"If Leah is somehow behind this-"

"I said, not now."

"-you're gonna have to kill her."

Angel felt his blood drain from his brain as the realization set in. He already knew that was the case, but having it confirmed by Lighting, of all people, made it seem even more real. Even more possible that Leah was a traitor.

"I know." He hung his head, determined not to talk about it any further.

"But you don't have to." Lightning said in protest, making Angel stop once again. "I don't mean go against the Grigori. Just... in the off-chance that she is a traitor... you don't have to be the one to kill her."

"Leah is _my_ sister."

_His _responsibility.

In their first lives, Angel hadn't liked her at all. She was this annoying, clingy crybaby that either rattled him out to their parents or blackmailed him. Moreover, he had lived only six years with her; he was ten when she was born, sixteen when his parents kicked him out. He only remembered her as a six year old, helpless child with all the signs of an easy life. When she stumbled in his doorstep almost a decade later, she was older, so much older. There was a hurt in her eyes he could have recognised anywhere; not because she reminded him of the sister he left behind, but rather because he realized she was going through the same thing he had to go through.

Leah betraying the Order... Angel couldn't honestly say it was impossible, especially after her ridicule in the aftermath of the Egyn incident. But to betray him? That, he couldn't understand.

He _refused_ to accept it.

* * *

**So, I guess it was time to take a deep dive into Angel's psyche. Well, the small part of it that is related to the story. ****As you can see, I really like dysfunctional families. I also like to change my mind on poor Lightning every few chapters. Well, I'm planning on adding a small fun fact section at the end of the next chapter, so that's something to look forward to.**


	40. A Spider, Caught in Web

Whatever Maira had been dreaming about, it faded into nothing as soon as consciousness returned to her. She felt her eyelids- her whole body in fact- too heavy to lift. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, only to be met with a dark ceiling. Her organism geared into position, preparing for the day. That's when her brain decided to remind her of all the sore spots and the bruises that undoubtedly covered her whole. Groaning, she realized how parched her throat was, and how putrid her saliva tasted.

She tried to sit up despite the aching, and found one of her arms incapacitated by a needle stuck in the inside of her elbow. Black spots danced around in her vision as she pulled it out and she was thankful the lights were out; the only source of light in the room were a few pitiful rays that escaped from the otherwise closed curtains. Even so, she could tell she wasn't in an infirmary; the Vatican, the Japanese Branch and the bunker all looked deceptively alike, with rows upon rows of colorful bottles containing even more colorful liquids and the sickening scent of medicine.

Whether it was the daze of having just awoken after God knows how long, or something else, Maira didn't panic. Sentinel's presence filled the room, making the room seem even more familiar. Had there been more blue in it, she would have thought she was in her bedroom at her parents' house. The thought of being back there made her shudder.

"Seek." Her voice was coarse from disuse, but Sentinel was still able to understand the command. However, she didn't fulfil it. Instead, one word echoed in Maira's mind, as soundless as a light morning breeze.

_Angel_.

The bitter taste in her mouth intensified and her stomach dropped. On one hand, the Order had found her first, which was a great thing, but on the other, Angel had probably advocated for her summary execution. The fact that she was still alive- and being taken care of, no less- actually worried her more. She had strict orders from Leah not to tell anyone anything and, all things considered, she had no idea what to tell the Grigori now.

The frantic thought of escaping out the window passed her mind, but she dismissed it quickly. She had to go through with it, even if she ended up with her head mysteriously separated from her shoulders. Well, maybe not that far, but it was something she had agreed to do, and she wasn't going to chicken out at the last second.

The loud- and frankly, quite annoying- sound of heels clicking on tile filled the silence. It almost sounded like gunshot at first, but Maira knew better. In her short time knowing him, She had come to the realization that Angel liked to make grand entrances- if his taste in fashion didn't already scream it. The door opened and her eyes bored into icy blue ones. He almost seemed surprised to see her awake, but he took care not to show it- as did Maira, with her satisfaction. As if at a loss for words, they stood there, staring at each other and willing the words to form.

"I... see that you are awake." Angel pointed out.

"Good observation." She couldn't help the sarcasm- waking up after God knows what happened was really not her favorite thing. Angel clicked his tongue disdainfully.

"And your rude manners are back too. Lovely."

"_My_ rude manners? Care to explain where I am and why?" Maira knew she sounded extremely idiotic, but she didn't have much choice. The words just rolled off her tongue with ease, and she wasn't one to question her mind's inner workings.

"You're pretty quick to forget." He noted. "You did live here for a week before going rogue."

It took her two seconds before she realized what he meant. Angel's house- well, quarters, really. Being the Paladin payed off well, it seemed. True enough however, the small room really was Angel's hate-filled guest room. She could almost feel the bed trying to shrug her off- or maybe it was the headache.

"I... went rogue?" It was a horrible time to add in the 'I-don't-remember' thing, but if the slight relaxing of his crossed arms was any indication, he had bought it.

"Of course you did. Twenty people go into a buidling, seventeen die. You being one of the three that didn't, obviously."

"I didn't kill anybody!" She protested. And it was true, she hadn't; she remembered Leah amongst the blood, like Brunhilda in the ruins of Valhalla. It had enchanted her then, like a sick spell, but now it made her stomach lurch forward.

"I remember being ambushed, and then I woke up in a cell." She said quickly.

Angel seemed more inclined to listen to her. His face, however, was contorted with dilemma. He really wasnted to run her through with a sword, didn't he?

"You might want to save it for the Grigori." He said after a few seconds of silence. "I am only supposed to guard you."

"And kill me, of course."

"If the need arises."

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, each drowning in their own thoughts.

"So, just like that? I go through all that trouble for a summary execution?" After Lucifer's declaration of war, the Grigori must have become more likely to listen to their Paladin's opinion, and it wasn't a secret that the man despised demons in all forms and shapes. She could only wonder what he was planning on doing to Rin.

"You will not die. Not yet, at least. I presume you are familiar with what comes next?"

"Of course. A trial." The Grigori had been so much kinder with her two years ago. Then again, the chances of their pet project being a traitor were so much slimmer. She'd be lucky if they'd listen to what she had to say- which were all last minute lies, obviously.

"And you cannot present yourself to them in such... manner." Angel said, scrunging up his nose while looking at her.

"I'm not taking an etiquette class for the people that wanna kill me." She replied defiantly.

"No. But a bath might be good."

* * *

"Shima."

He felt like someone had dumped ice cubes down his back. He wasn't familiar with his name being rolled off _her _tongue, and the satisfied smile on her face didn't put him at ease either. Still, he attempted to look at her head on, with his best shit-eating grin on his face.

"You wouldn't happen to know where our... _lady _is, these days?" Castillo suddenly took on a pinched expression, as if calling Amaterasu a lady was demeaning to her.

"In her room, most likely. Last I checked, she was feeling ill."

"Oh, is that so? And you don't find the least bit odd that she was just fine in that body of hers until that _insufferable brat_ left?" Her voice was sickly sweet, he noticed. He wondered if she really thought that was an effective way of getting answers- it was neither adding to her attraction, nor her intimidation.

"It's not my place to know such things." He dropped the grin and stared at her.

"Hmph. No, of course not. You're just the little spider, crawling around..." She began to leave the corridor, only to stop by him and dip low, "Waiting for your next victim."

If Renzo had been scared before, he was terrified now. There was no way Castillo wasn't up to him. If that were the case, she wouldn't have dared be so forward about it. All he could do whilst not freaking out and dropping his guard was wondered how much of her inter had been relayed to Lucifer, and if the latter's trust was waning.

* * *

**I may or may not have had forgotten the trivia thing when i first uploaded the chapter because I'm an idiot. Anyhow, here goes:**

**\- Maira is half Japanese and half British. Mom's a Brit, dad's Japanese.**

**\- Leah and Arthur changed their last names after their parents kicked them out. Leah also changed her first name (again, taking liberties with Angel).**

**-Eva Castillo is Logan's daughter; Logan is the guy's last name, first name being Alexander. Eva uses her maternal surname.**

**-Leah was originally intended to be the main character in an Elder Scrolls fic I was working on; in the end the fic itself wasn't worth the time, so she was just sitting there when I first started Sentinel.**

**-Maira gets a whooping 35 Mary Sue score. I had it coming, I guess. Plans to recreate her have already hatched, whether they come to fruition is a matter of how much time I'll have for wasting.**

**-This was going to be a Bon/ OC story when I first started (hence the weird opening sequence). In end I figured that Shima made for a more interesting character and went along with him.**

**-Lighting has a Doctor Meister. He does know fatal verses and stuff, but he found that being a crazy scientist would fit in well with his hoarding habits- and by 'he', I mean 'me'.**

**-The out of nowhere relationship between Shima and Maira was actually on purpose. No, I'm not happy with how it played out in the latter chapters, but silly me had actually meant for it to happen.**

**-Sentinel and the other 'branded' business came in way, way later. Sentinel herself (itself?) is based off a video game character's ability, with which she sends forth green ghost heads to scour nearby places. She says 'seek' when you activate it, and so does Maira. (Character and video game being Kalista and League of Legends, respectively)**

** -A lot of non-canon things in this story are actually references to other video games. Leah and the deathbells go hand in hand because Leah was meant for Skyrim, in which Deathbells are actual, poisonous flowers. They look nothing like how I've described them here.**

**-I legitimately didn't expect to write more than three chapters, as is the deal with every other story I've tried writing. The fact that this is the 40th chapter kinda scares me.**


	41. Cold feet, colder hands

Maira made sure to keep her expression calm throughout the lengthy process of the trial, but that didn't stop her from sweating profusely. The unassuming beads soaked through her clothes, chilling her spine. Somewhere in the back of her head, where her insticts had been pushed, Sentinel shivered, though it wasn't because of the lowered body temperature. The spirit was on high alert, and the slightest movement- be it a hitch of the breath, or a clenching fist- from the Grigori sent her in a frenzy.

_It's fine, it's all going fine._

Maira repeated the words again and again, hoping that it would calm her- herself or Sentinel, it didn't matter at that point. But, for all her anxiety, the Grigori spent most of the Trial arguing rather than questioning her.

"One more time, child." Caspar's voice resonated once the two older men stopped. "tell us what happened." Maira took a deep breath, the cool, manufactured air of the room filling her thorax.

"I am still unsure. I understand that the mission had been an ambush. Due to my inexperience with combat, I was stationed outside the supossed hideout. I made sure no one would leave the building without Chancellor Song's sayso."

"And no one left the building?"

"No one." She answered firmly, hoping that her retelling was convincing enough. It had all been true up to that point.

"And afterwards? Why did you enter the buidling, despite your orders."

"I stood... _sentinel_ outside for a long time. No one left the building, so I assumed something was wrong. I attempted to contact Song and the other Exorcists, but none of them answered. By the time I finally entered... it was too late."

"What about Song? We didn't recover her body."

"She was there. She was... she was down. I never found out if she was dead or not. I was knocked out before I could reach her."

Caspar nodded and sat back in her chair.

"And in your time as a prisoner, what did you gather?"

Of course they'd go looking for information. Even if they did deem her innocent, or at least uninvolved with this mess, she'd still be useless to them if she had nothing to offer about the Illuminati. She remebered Sheela's questionable fate.

"Not much, unfortunately. Their base was underground, probably close to the false location we were given. On the second day of my imprisonment, the other Branded was taken away. I had assumed they killed her at first, but they only came for me later. I was told that I was to be used as a trading chip. I believe the other one was used for the same reason." Of course she couldn't tell them everything- mostly because it had been Lucifer to tell her all this.

"A trading chip?" Balthasar mused.

"Obviously to gain other organizations' support. But whose?" The questions, that only now were begining to swirl in her head, were rhetorical. None of the Girgori expected her to answer, and even if she knew, she'd be damned if she answered.

"That will be all, child. You may leave. The Paladin will inform you of your new situation shortly."

Maira almost bolted from the room, and upon re-entering the hallway, realised that heat _was _indeed turned down in there. Maybe it had been a way of intimidating the truth out of her. Either way she was glad to be out of the room.

Angel gave her a curt nod before heading in. He had already instructed her to wait after her Trial and, even though she didn't look forward to hanging around in the Vatican, there was nowhere else for her to go. Not that she knew how to lead herself out of the maze that were the halls, anyway.

"You know, I keep wondering why he chose _you_?" Leah wondered out loud.

Shima nearly jumped at the sound of her voice; she had been awake for a few hours, after days of sleeping. Shima had expected her voice to be coarse from the disuse but, as his eyes involuntarily bore into hers, he realized she may have been more awake than he thought.

"Who?" He managed to ask, even though there were many other questions forming on the tip of his tongue, threatening to spill out at any moment.

"Yamantaka." She said and looked down at her clasped hands, as if the name disgraced her.

Shima didn't answer to her original question. Truly, he wasn't sure himself. He wasn't talented in summoning demons; Yamantaka had been the only one to respond to his summons, and he couldn't keep him around long enough- at least not without fainting.

"Why did Amaterasu chose you?" He asked suddenly, and almost slapped himself for it; last thing he needed was Leah kicking him out, and straight into Castillo's ready claws.

"Had something she wanted." She answered, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"She had been looking for a suitable vessel when I came across- couldn't have been more than a month since up. Anyway, after the deed was done, we decided to go our separate ways for a while. Of course, I still bore her Mark. Calling her is easier when there's a stable line."

"What did she need?"

"A vessel. You know how Amaterasu is a goddess in Japanese mythology? Obviously she's known by other names, by other peoples... But the fact remains, that she was created by Lucifer."

Shima stared at her, confusion creating ripples on his face.

"Every other demon, except maybe Lucifer himself and Mephisto- who existed before Satan fell- were created by Satan. Amaterasu almost gave Egyn a run for his position, way back. When I came across her, well... I suppose they've always been hostile towards each other. Their latest competition was finding a strong vessel first. Maybe it was dumb luck I happened to be there, but Amaterasu _chose_ me and she created her Mark. Do you know what would have happened if all I was good for was being corporeal?"

"I'd still be under her control." She answered her own question and tilted her head back, as if she could see the demon on the ceiling. "This is why... the flower... You're lucky that Yamantaka doesn't have a stronger presence in your life."

"So... it's euphoric, for you?" He asked carefully.

Leah shut her eyes for two whole seconds, and Shima the small, pale lines that were starting to form under them. "Yes. It's... addictive, almost. Like having touched of piece of heaven."

Shima stayed quiet. While Yamantaka's presence wasn't exactly the sole source of his happiness, he was happy with it. He liked the way battle shifted into his favor, even for a moment. He had taken special pleasure in seeing Izumo's reaction to the fire demon. Even more so when he banished those annoying foxes.

Why hadn't he just killed them when he had the chance? Honestly, it was too much trouble. It wouldn't tire him more to just kill them, but it was extremely pointless to do it. Especially when simply planting the seed of doubt in Izumo would have the same result as tearing away the only constant in her life.

He hadn't been bothered when they returned to help later, either. Castillo, for whatever reason, had wanted Geduin to fail in that regard. It was back when he was still intimidated enough by the red-head that he had assisted in Geduin's failure:

_"Should I go?"_

_"Nope. Let the idiot sort his own mess out."_

_"They're gonna run away."_

_"So, let them. Worst case scenario, Geduin gets fired."_

_"But-"_

_"Just shut up and enjoy the show."_

Of course, Geduin fared far worse than a simple loss of job. Shima had an inkling that the new team of scientists Lucifer had acquire still kept his more than desecrated remains in their lab, somewhere.

It didn't matter, he decided. If anything, it made his current goal easier; Lucifer was still incapacitated, making Leah mission just a teeny bit more possible. Well, as possible as it could be with a ruined Deathbell, a weak Leah, a bloodthirsty Castillo and God-knows-what-else.

"Are the Girgori some sort of omnipotent, four year old, pranksters?" Maira asked, purely out of frustration as she trailed behind Angel. Said man had extremely long limbs and, as such, walked far faster than she did. Until he stopped, and Maira face planted into his back.

"Do not speak of the Grigori in such an informal manner." He said sternly.

Maira couldn't see his face, but she was sure he was scowling, as he often was.

"You're gonna get wrinkles if your do that." She mumbled, stepping back. Angel made an exasperated noise with his nose and started walking again- his strides somehow became even wider.

"But it's kinda true, no? None of us is happy with this."

Well, the first two times Maira had to stay with Angel hadn't brought them any closer; why the Grigori thought that the third time would be the charm, she'd never know. Angel didn't respond- or slow down. Maira had to ran to catch up to him, but even then she decided to keep a respectable distance.

"It's not final." He said suddenly. "If you're deemed mentally unstable they will re-assess the situation."

Of course. Angel's only hope of salvation: Making Lighting conduct a psychological analysis. Maira didn't bother supressing a sigh.

"Aren't the results too damn obvious? PTSD is a total yes."

"Obviously." He echoed. "There's more than one mental disorder you can have."

Maira entertained the thought of mocking him for a few good seconds when he suddenly stopped again. And, of course, Maira face planted into him _again_.

"This is becoming a habit for you, isn't it?" He _joked_. "This is Lightning's office. I have some business to take care of." And with that, he took off in the opposite direction. With much smaller strides, that is. _Self-centered git._

She looked at the wooden door he'd so casually dropped her off at, and felt a dread accumulate in her belly. Renzo had been absolute in that Lightning should not know about her involvement in the plan and Maira wasn't sure how long she'd last against him. Lying to the Grigori was easy because, well, they didn't know the inner workings of the mind like someone with a degree in psychology did. And Lighting was that someone. If he had so much as an inkling, she was done for.

She rested her hand on the knob and knew he was inside, waiting. With one last sigh, she opened the door, expecting the worse-

Only it wasn't just Lighting in there.

There's a young man in there, doing his best to clean the space Angel called an office. More like a demonic garbage dump. Lightning is sitting in a fluffy looking armchair, and grins almost manically when he sees her.

"Oh hello, hello! Come on inside, let me get you something to drink." Maira hasn't interacted with the man enough to know what he's usually like, but she guesses _that_ is not it. The fact that the man- servant stopped to stare at them in disbelief didn't help.

"No. Thanks." She's sure that -depsite the young man's best efforts- no cups have been washed since their purchase. There's a distinct smell of... lack of hygiene, that makes her want to get away even more.

"Ah, well. Suguro, why don't you... step outside. It'll take a while, so why not go buy some more coffee?"

_What._

She looked at the previously incospicuous man; surely they simply shared the same name. Bon had that ridiculous yellow strike and the piercings that set him apart from everyone else. This guy had black hair, lacks the thin goattee and had a tight... scowl fixed on his face. _Oh boy_.

Bon glared at her as though she just insulted his mother and suddenly the dread in the pit of her stomach burst, flowing up to her throat and suffocating her. Thankfully, he didn't say anything. He continued to glare daggers at her, even as he left the room.

"When did that happen?" She burst, despair evident in her voice. Lighting raised one eyebrow, but motioned for her to sit at one of the less comfy chairs. She complied, too distracted to worry about the bugs that were definately lurking about in the cushions.

"About a week ago, I suppose. Your presence has been throughly missed."

Maira tried _not_ to remember the last time she spoke with Bon. She tried even harder to forget kissing him, but it was inevitable. His lips had been soft, and at the same time, rough and chapped. It was nothing like Ren- _Fuck no._ _Bigger problem than boy troubles._

If she was blushing, Lightning kindly ignored it. He pulled a notebook and a pen from under the armchair he was occupying and scribbled down something.

"Alright, whenever you're ready."

"I... I don't know what to say." She admitted, earning another raised eyebrow.

"You've been to therapy before, haven't you?"

"Yes. But I never felt like I had something to say. I felt awful. Everything was to blame."

"Except yourself?"

"Especially myself. I kept thinking that, had I not been there, they would have survived."

"Is that how you feel now? A lot of exorcists died, and you're the only confirmed survivor, after all." Was he guilt tripping her?

In all truth, however, seeing so many lives cut short hadn't affected her nearly as much as seeing her friends die. It was, disturbingly enough, _easy_ to gloss over. There were bigger things at hand. She was needed elsewhere.

It was then that she began doubting... _everything_.

* * *

**Sorry for taking so long with this one, but... since we're nearing the end, I've been trying to avoid pointless side arcs and focus into squeezing the end into healthy sized chapters.**

**E.W...you asked for more Shima and you got him. I'm trying to avoid his perspective at the moment, as there isn't much going on on his side of the story.**

**Next chapter will be up whenever I get around to finishing the plot points. Aaaaand when I get over my Undertale hype...**


	42. They Knew Better

Just the color of the furniture was enough to make Maira shiver. White. White everywhere. She had to wonder if it was driving Angel crazy just as much as it did her- or if he took his name so seriously that everything he touched had to be pure. Maira guessed it was an unhealthy bit of both, although her judgment was apparently a bit impaired. Between Renzo and Leah, where one was a traitor with questionable affiliations and the other was just plain questionable.

She was sure that Angel would take his time getting back and there was literally nothing to do in the otherwise empty apartment. Sentinel's sudden initiative had piqued her interest though- it wasn't usual for her to act on her own, but at the same time it wasn't like she had no will either. She plopped down on the couch- and involuntarily jumped when it almost swallowed her. One would think that all the furniture in there would be hard and uncomfortable.

Okay, she thought. She'd just have to do it on the floor. The carpeted section of the floor, if she had a say in the matter.

Finally seated on the thick carpet with her legs crossed, Maira reached out to Sentinel in a way she never had to before. Because they'd been together since Maira was still an infant, and because Sentinel was by her nature eager to please, they never needed more than a few coded words to communicate. This way was far more... intrusive. She knew Leah did a lot, especially when orchestrating difficult missions. She also knew how little Amaterasu liked the procedure.

She could feel the new connection begin to form between them, like a spider's web from her core to Sentinel's. The air around her wavered as it did and Maira had to wince; surely it couldn't be comfortable.

Sentinel's... mind, was bursting with emotions. Other than the constant worrying, there was a sense of dread and trepidation.

* * *

Angel normally didn't bother honoring his fallen comrades. If they were dead, then they hadn't been strong. If they weren't strong, they weren't worth the trouble.

Still, Angel needed to confirm this.

A Doctor lifted the gray sheet that covered one of the bodies- a man with no living relatives, if the fact that his body remained here a month after his demise was anything to judge by.

"As I wrote in my report," the Doctor began, almost indignantly, "the killer, or killers, were all wielding knives- no bigger than the average rapier." Angel ignored his babbling. He'd read that report, multiple times, and it hadn't helped at all.

With a gloved finger, he prodded at the fatal wound in his neck.

"This," He said, looking at his colleague pointedly, "Was not mentioned."

The Doctor paled a little. "Erm, yes. We believe that the wielders weren't trained well enough. Thus the bruising around the wound."

Angel leaned away with a frown. He didn't know what the man had done to get his Doctor Meister but he didn't deserve it at all.

Though he'd never seen a wound like that on a person before, he had seen it on training dummies. The now black spots around the wound were anything but bruises. They were burns.

To make matters worse, he also knew the technique the 'wielders' had used. The memory was fresh in the back of his mind. He remembered back when she first came to him fresh faced, with an eagerness that made her easy to control and still donning her old birth name. Arthur had taken over Leah's training, but it was Castillo that taught her swordplay; while they both preferred heavy weaponry, Eva had gathered quite the knowledge on all shapes and sizes. Back then, when things were simpler, he would have even admitted to admiring her.

There was no doubt in his mind anymore; Leah had been swayed over to the Illuminati by that woman.

* * *

He didn't know whether to be pleased that Kazume was already in his apartment, or disturbed by it. Arthur didn't trust her nearly enough to give her a spare key- only Lewin deserved that trust, and Leah, who had asserted herself into his home without his consent. At least, he told himself, she was sitting quietly on the couch, and nothing looked out of order.

Which was weird, because she looked like a worrier. There were many times during their short acquaintance that he'd notice her wringing her hands, worrying her lip or twirling her hair, and it seemed to be for the most mundane of reasons.

She acknowledged him with a nod before going back to staring at nothing. Shrugging, he wandered further into his home, towards his bedroom. Now that he knew the girl was awake and mostly harmless, he could rest for a few extra hours. Fate, however, seemed to have different plans. His expertly trained ears caught the sound of her socked feet padding on the think carpet long before she spoke up.

"Do you think..." She looked away once he turned. Ah- there's the hair twirling. "Do you think Leah had something to do with all of this?"

Obviously, she couldn't have known where he was or what he was thinking, but her sudden question struck him like a slap to the face.

"Do you?" He asked back, not wanting to share anything with her just yet. She hesitated, adding the lip chewing to the list of annoying habits.

"I- She always made some... questionable decisions during missions. But those were made in the spur of moment. Something like this would have required a lot of planning, yeah?"

"I suppose Leah was always more open about herself to you than me. As you might know, we were quite distant in our youth." The look on her face told him that she didn't know this. "Things didn't change much when she joined the Order. Her beliefs and her... liberal stance on life rather clashes with mine. I made a point of not meddling in her affairs, unless a dead body was involved."

Maybe he shouldn't humor her like that.

"Oh. I just- I feel like I don't know her anymore. And, I wonder if it was always this way?"

"Just what did Lightning tell you about her?" He was growing irritated. Comforting people wasn't his forte. Especially children. Especially the ones he should be hunting down.

"Nothing. I mean, he asked what I thought about her, but I've been thinking about this since I woke up. I mean, you're right. It does look pretty shady that only us three survived and I haven't heard from or seen Leah since the mission begun."

Oh, this one was good. The little witch had him, until she took it too far. Angel's capabilities far exceeded those of the average human and with only amateur level training, he could read body language expertly well. Her heart beat just a little faster as the lie rolled off her tongue, her pupils dilating. He fought down the smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Try not to think too much on it. It is too early for Leah to be condemned as a traitor." Angel offered before he closed his door.

* * *

Shima had been poring over the bunker's blueprints for a very short while. Even so, it was easy to see that sneaking out undetected would be impossible- or, at least, it would require a level of stealth that neither himself nor Leah possessed. Said woman had been sure that that would be the case, but she still managed to gain Lucifer's permission to view the blueprints. Apparently, Leah's stay with the Illuminati was meant to be long, but with Castillo growing curious and Amaterasu's faltering reliability, they'd need to find a way out, and fast. After all, Shima himself was never a part in her original schemes. Having him by her side increased the image of an ally, but without anyone else in a bunker full of sycophants... well.

He couldn't say he wanted to stay a moment longer anyway. Doubts had been clouding his mind for a while before Leah came along, and now it was much, much more difficult to keep a straight face. All he wanted was to leave, find Maira and maybe try to set things right. But his family, his friends... he couldn't show up and expect to be welcomed back, that much he knew. He'd made sure they wouldn't want him back, not after what he'd done.

Of course, Takezo would never even _think_ about going against the clan.

Bunch of morons who can't see five inches in front of them.

However, there was nowhere else to turn to. Perhaps Mephisto would take him back in the Academy and protect him from the wrath of his family, but even so, he'd still have his former friends to answer to. Maybe switching alliances like that had been a bad idea.

With a long- suffering sigh, he leaned back in the chair, his mind having hit a brick wall. It hurt to even think. He just wanted his problems to dissipate, to go away until he could think clearly. Granted, he was never the smart one; not in his group of friends. Bon and Konekomaru easily outsmarted him and, truth be told, Shima had never tried to convince himself or anyone else otherwise. And while he had neither brain nor brawn over them, he was a prankster. His mind ran a thousand miles per hour when mischief was involved. Everyone who knew him for more than a day could see that, which was why playing double agent had been so easy. No one would suspect the- seemingly- idiot with the stupid hair dye and the lack of concentration.

Obviously it was becoming a little more than a game, now that the war had been declared. Shima had no love for either side, despite being roped into it. And since he couldn't crawl out of the shit well his family had thrust him in, he was going to play them all.

They should have known better.

* * *

**Yup, alive and with a chapter before summer. I outdid myself. Well, I should be studying, but the closer I get to my finals, the more I realize that the universities I've applied to are both out of my league and interests. So, basically, when I'm done with my finals, I'm kinda done with life. I'll just barricade myself in my room that I now have to share with my sister and live out the rest of my days torturing fictional characters for the shits and giggles.**

**Buuuuuut, concerning this chapter. I've been meaning not to write too much of Shima on purpose, mostly because he isn't doing much these days. As I was finishing Angel's bit though, I realized that I've been relying a lot on the manga for exposition, even though my story's strayed from canon. As such, I wanted to give Shima more reason to do what he does, and what he will do in the future, without expecting the readers to have read the manga beforehand.**

**And I also wanted to go into some level of depth with Leah and Eva's relationship, because I feel it will be necessary in the long run. Angel's kinda fun to write. I recommend him.**


	43. To Wash Down With A Cold Cup O' Coffee

Maira stood with her back abnormally straight, her hands stiff at her side. The confidence that had given her the motive to get out of bed was slowly leaving her but she dared not budge. Angel, despite being a pompous asshole for the most part, held the title of Paladin for a reason and while Maira wasn't after such a feat, she could certainly benefit from training with him. Briefly she considered knocking on his door again. Perhaps she has overestimated him and he really was a lazy fu-

"Can I help you?" Angel was suddenly standing in front of her, his white hair in a low ponytail at the base of his neck, sweat rolling down his chin and his white tank top sticking to his chest. Somehow he looked more buff now than he ever had; like Leah, he was tall and willowy, his figure betraying his speed but not his strength. Maira peered behind him through the small crack of his door and spotted a yoga mat spread out on the floor. Guess he was as tedious as Leah made him out to be.

"Yeah, uh..." She faltered as soon as her eyes met his. Only now did she consider the possibility that he would deny her request. Angel still saw a threat in her. She was still a possible enemy. A liability. She quivered.

As she struggled to gain some of her confidence and her words back, he cocked a perfectly shaped eyebrow upwards, his expression growing more and more impatient.

_Weak. Helpless. Cowardly. Traitorous._

Maira took a deep breath and let her head rest on her collarbone. She knew why she was here. All she had to do was ask.

"Until two years ago Leah thought I could be something extrordinary. She talked Logan and the Grigori into it. And then, Egyn came. I was there, I was not alone and yet I couldn't do anything. I could only stand there as he tore my friends to pieces. And then I ran."

Something in him changed. He didn't any less stiff, he didn't move but the annoyed expression faded.

"I don't want to run anymore. I don't- I _cannot_ be weak anymore. I want to be stronger." The words took with them some weight as they left the hot prison of her mouth. WIth some relief gained, she allowed herself to close her eyes, preparing for the rejection.

"Why? Because you let down Leah and the Grigori and let Logan die? Or is it because you have realised that fame has brought you nothing?"

There was no doubt in her mind about the answer,

"Because I have at least two people I need to protect. One of them is Leah herself."

That coaxed a reaction. Angel suddenly stood rigid, his facial features shifting into something between enraged and mortified.

"Leah? Maira, whatever it is you're thinking, it is not worth it."

Momentarily distracted by the fact that he called her by her name- usually it was 'you' or 'brat'- Maira looked up at him.

"What? Why?"

"Leah killed those Exorcists. Whatever lies she has put in your head- Leah is the enemy."

"She is _not_ the enemy. She is infiltrating the Illuminati. She used Amaterasu to get Lucifer to trust her. How can you think so lowly of your own sister?!"

"She killed seventeen Exorcists. I cannot forgive her for that. The Grigori will not, either." Angel pushed her out of the way and, in the narrow hallway, her head found the wall. Tears welled up in her eyes because of the pain, but she pushed them down. She had to stop Angel, had to make him listen.

She chased him into the living room- all he had to do was take long strides to put distance between them- calling his name. She had grabbed a handful of his tank top and was trying to pull him back while he reached for his coat.

"Please, listen to me!"

"This is beyond your control now!" He turned as he bellowed, his icy eyes flashing with rage. Maira froze, realization of what he was capable and willing to do sinking in. Then, fear.

Dazed, she let go of his clothing and backed away, cowering. He glared at her for a few more terrifying moments before quickly wearing his coat and reaching for the door. Instead of the eternal white marble that covered _everything,_ Lewin was standing there, his hand raised as if he was about to knock. Behnd him, Suguro was frowing at them.

"...Did I interrupt something?"

"Get out of my way, Lightning. Or better yet, come with me."

"Are we going out? Suguro and I came to have breakfast with you two. Thought we could spend some time together, since-"

"Leah has betrayed the Order." Angel didn't spare him a single glance as he practically glided down the hallway.

"Angel, please!" Maira, depsite her initial fear, continued to chase the taller man.

"Both of you, stop!" Lewin yelled.

"Stop? Did you not just hear what I said?" To his credit, Angel really did stop.

"I heard. I know exactly what Leah has been doing lately. It was my idea."

Angel, strong, unbent, unbroken and unbowed Angel looked completely dumbfounded.

"You are insane! You are all insane!" He threw his hands in the air.

"Now, now Angel, let's not disturb the Cardynals." Lewin chided and, with the most carefree attitude, walked over to him, threw an arm around his shoulder and guided him back into the apartment.

"But-"

"Relax, it will _all_ make sense soon."

"But-"

"Angel, you sound like an idiot. Sit down. Maira, Suguro, go get some breakfast. Oh, and if you could bring us a pot of coffee and two mugs, that'd be great. We both take it black."

Bon only nodded his head once before disappearing intot he kitchen. Maira, still unable to comprehend the situation, followed. The kitchen was as white and pristine as the rest of the luxurious apartment. Everything was neatly stacked in it's place, not a single stain on the marble counters.

Maira sat at the small kitchen table, staring at her hands. This was... this was not what she had expected to happen. She had overestimated Angel's relationship to Leah, had forgotten Lewin was even part of the equation. Of course, she knew that Lewin wasn't supposed to find out about the change in the plans, not yet. But what he just said... maybe Leah was trying to keep them separated for a reason.

"What the _hell_, Mai?" Bon's annoyed voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "You leave like _that_, you go missing for a _month_ and now Leah is a double agent?!"

"Triple." She corrected and rubbed her eyes. Behind him, his rage was mirrored in the bubbling pot of coffee. "And... I'm sorry. About what happened, what I did. I don't understand what came over me."

"You miss him. I get that-"

"No. I mean, yes, but that's not the reason."

He exhaled loudly and sat down opposite her. "What is going on? I know Lightning's gonna tell me after, but I need to hear it from you."

"Leah infiltrated the Illuminati a few months before Shima joined. Used Amaterasu to fool them. She hadn't planned for me but after I got captured..."

"So she's making shit up as she goes? Great. What about Shima? Is he there, is he-"

"He's helping her. They planned this together with Lewin."

Relief seemed to seep through him. "So he wasn't spying on us for them?"

"He was. He had to. Frankly, the only important thing he could tell them was that there's a Branded."

"You. Why was that important?"

"Lucifer wanted to trade me for something. A deal with the Order, I think." Bon hummed and, before he answered, he picked up and two mugs as Lewin had instructed, and left for the living room. When he came back, he leaned against the doorframe and cast a dark look over her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"What?"

"You keep trying to help Leah, even though you don't need to."

Maira took a deep breath and braced herself for the truth that was about to wash over them both.

"Because I love him."

* * *

**So uh...I'm back.**

**If you thought I was abandoning the story, you're wrong. It is my baby, my child and holy fuck I'm starting to hate Maira. The sooner I'm done with the fic the less I'll have to think of how this bitch ruins everything. And yes, I am literally creating drama for myself.**

**So that happened. Maira loves Shima, Bon's perpetually angry, Angel's flabbergasted and if anyone thinks I was being too descriptive of his holy sweatiness it is because I have spent too much time mulling over the chapters are are devoted to him and Maira co-existing. It does weird things to me.**

**Next up we have things going terribly, terribly wrong. Y'all have been warned.**


	44. Bring The Fight To Them

**So... Yeah.**

* * *

A muscle jumped in his chin as the words came out, but he said nothing. He simply sat at the table with the pristine white tablecloth, his hands hidden from view.

They stood in silence for what seemed to her like an eternity, until Angel's voice from the other room grew louder.

"...atrocious!...I trusted... when that demon...her life!" All Maira had to do then was focus on his voice. How far away it was, in which room. Sentinel's presence around her shifted once more, stretching towards the older man, though hesitantly. She closed her eyes and allowed Sentinel full control of her senses.

Behind her closed lids, her vision was foggy around the edges, tinted purple as if watching through an old window. Angel was pacing behind the couch where Lewin was lounging, reminding her of their session a few days earlier. However, there was something about the way Lewin was seated that seemed off. He was splayed on the white furniture, but at the same time he was rigid, his head half turned as if he too was focusing on the sound rather than the sight of his distressed friend.

"Leah knew the risks-"

"She is irresponsible, distrustful-"

"She's an adult, Angel. She didn't- she'd _never _take on such a mission if she didn't know the consequences. Even I tried talking her out of it when she suggested it. The threat was that much smaller back then..."

"And her endgame? Did she tell you about that, Lightning?"

"Of course she wants Egyn. There was never any doubt about it. But think on this; she helps tear down the biggest, current threat _and_ ensures another one like it doesn't appear again."

"Or she brings the Order and that child into Amaterasu's feud." Angel froze in his steps.

"This is... fundamentally wrong. Do you not get that feeling?"

"I have been having some severe stomach aches but that might be the kid's coffee making skills."

"I'm serious Lewin. For all her pigheadedness and rebelious streak, Leah wouldn't just do this."

Lightning sat forward and exhaled loudly. "She's not _just_ doing this for kicks. She, and I for that matter, are doing what the Order will not. Whether it's Sir Pheles or some sort of moral code that's keeping them, the Grigori's being too confident about this situation. This is _Lucifer_ we're up against. First Prince of Hell and all that jazz. The fact that his vessel's weak only makes him more desperate to fight."

Angel, for once, didn't have something to say. He draped his coat over the back of an armchair before unceremoniously plopping on it, rubbing his face with both hands.

"What do you suggest we do then?"

The sound of utter defeat in his voice brought a victorious grin to Lightning's face. "I have a child prodigy, you have one of the Order's trump cards, right there in your kitchen. We take the fight to the Illuminati."

A frown appeared on Angel's face. Despite the limited options, it was obvious this was his least favorite. Well, that was one sure thing they didn't have in common.

Maira allowed herself to go back to her body and leave Sentinel alone. The spirit was more than happy to have her own senses back, leaving Maira dizzy.

"Your coffee's gone cold." Bon commented after the tenth time she blinked the migraine away.

With a renewed cheer to her stride, Maira promptly got up and emptied the cold beverage down the drain, much to the confusion of her companion. The archway that connected the kitchen with the living room was right in front of her and she crossed it merrily almost, leaving all second thoughts behind.

Angel's furrowed face turned from Lightning to her in an instant, as if he smelled her intentions.

"I'm ready."

* * *

**I have NOT been in a writing mood lately. I'm working on a new, original story but this one hasn't slipped my mind. I've worked out all the major plot points for this one, the ending, whether or not it's worth a sequel and I can't type a single word of it. They're all just trapped in my mind for the time being.**

**This was short because a large time skip with a training montage is what follows and I don't wanna bloat this chapter. It WILL however take a while for the next chapter so, those of you that are still around, please be patient with me.**

**I can finally say I have a social life. And the core reason for it lives all the way across the E.U. Have mercy.**


	45. Contrast

Maira fell onto the training mat with a graceless 'umph'.

The nausea of having eaten nothing but half of Lewin's sandwich- which was, a, prohibited by his majesty, Angel and b, disgusting- was starting to get to her, only fifteen minutes into the training drill Angel had set up for her.

The blond tower of a man stood over her, looking bored as hell. These particular exercises were frustrating for both of them. The point was to see just how fast and flexible Maira could be. So Angel delivered punches that, for him were slow, but for any normal human were too fast to counter. Maira could only sway left and right, matching the pattern of the oncoming hits, until Angel caught onto to her and changed. Then, she ended up on the floor, a sweaty and gasping mess.

"Get up." He ordered. Maira managed to sit up, still trying to catch her breath and cull the pain Angel's punch to the stomach had caused. "Get. Up." He said more forcefully, "We still have five more minutes on these."

"Shouldn't I be at the shooting range? I'm...I'm not a fighter!" She stopped herself short of saying 'like you'. Angel was convinced that, if they were going to partake in this mission, Maira had to go through close combat training.

"No to both statements." Angel, grabbing her hand and pulling her up, making sure that her shoulder made that cringe worthy 'pop' sound.

"You are not a born warrior, that's a given. But you're far from a mere gunslinger too." Do you know why Leah was assigned in your Cram School, despite her rank?"

"Teacher shortage?" She guessed while rubbing her sore abdomen.

"Of course not. Don't be stupid." The corners of his mouth tugged downwards. "The two of you were the only cataloged Branded that hadn't lost their minds, at the time." Sheela was obviously discovered later. "Leah, in the Grigori's opinion, could help you realize your potential. Of course, Leah had mislead them as to how her bond with Amaterasu worked. Amaterasu is one of the oldest demons, excluding the Princes of Hell. She was alive when Satan was banished to Gehenna and she followed her 'father' into exile."

"Satan?"

"Lucifer. She was, until the beginning of the feudal era, on Satan's side. When she was falsely considered a deity, along with Egyn, she became less... ruthless. She fit into the role the people of that time needed her to. She tried to overtake Egyn's place as a Prince of Hell, claiming she was older, made of stronger magics." He took a deep breath. "Leah has one of the strongest physiques. She made for a lasting vessel. Her bond with Amaterasu was an accident on the demon's part. A possession gone wrong. But that didn't matter to my sister. She was made special for having a monster share her body. Once Amaterasu was done with her, she left, without breaking the bond. Leah can tap into a tiny fraction of her power."

"Okay..."

"Leah could not and cannot teach you how to control your own demon. She is a submissive in her relationship with Amaterasu. With proper training, and given your already easy- going relationship with that thing, we can undo years of erroneous training, turn you into the trump card the Order expects."

"Who's gonna teach me? You?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" He finally smirked, which was weird enough on it's own. He actually seemed satisfied, despite just confirming that he was gonna spend time dealing with a demon without killing the damn thing. "My own... experiences, are enough to get the job done. You already rely on your demon for menial tasks, no?"

"Sentinel." He cocked an eyebrow. _He doesn't give a damn about her name, silly._

"Yeah. I rely on the extra set of senses to shoot. I can project her into a semi-physical form to scout and turn her aura into a bubble- shield."

"Hm." He wasn't impressed. "And how did you manage that?"

"I, uh, asked nicely?"

"'Asked nicely'? Oh dear, you are not controlling that demon at all."

"It's a symbiosis. I literally need her to _breathe_!"

"I'm sure you consider it like one would a pet." _Try surrogate sister. Or mother. Both._

"But in the heat of battle, you have to make sure it will do _what_ you need _when_ you need it. _Sit._"

She complied, swearing to herself, and Sentinel, that she would be the most unbearable little shit to him once it was all over. "I understand that there is a basic communication between the two of you. You have to assert that it is not there _just_ to protect you. No matter how docile a Will-o'-Wisp typically is, they are still demons. Air- type demons, at that."

"So?" Her neck was already hurting from looking up at him. It was ridiculous how tall he was.

"You can use air to create an impenetrable field around you, if I understood that correctly. In that same fashion, you can create something. Sharp. Dangerous."

"Air... knives?"

"Wind slashes, if you want to be poetic. You won't always have enough ammo or distance to fight. You can't just 'bubble up' and wait for the demons to get bored. They won't."

* * *

It had only been a week since Sentinel was added into the intensive training regimen and, truthfully, neither of them were happy. Maira's arms felt bloated and heavy, her abdomen was perpetually bruised and her legs were sore in places she didn't even know could get sore. Frankly, it was a miracle she hadn't passed out or broken anything. The diet Angel had imposed on her was also ridiculous. Chicken, fried, boiled, roasted, with veggies or rice.

She was starting to gain a newfound hatred for fowls.

Meanwhile, Angel's usual partner in crime was off with Bon in tow, hacking left and right, practically harvesting info on previous Order Exorcists who had turned to the Dark Side..._or light side, since Lucifer's thing is light._ Despite her limited knowledge on computers, she envied Bon. Staring at screen for a few hours a day was better than getting only twenty minutes to nap after an eight hour workout. Showers were only allowed before bed time, which was strictly eight in the evening, so she could get back up at four in the morning, nibble on a carrot and _maybe_ a juice box before the cycle began anew.

If there was anything positive in this whole mess, it was that she was starting to look good. Shallow, but Maira was desperate for a beacon of hope in the midst of Paladin- cooked chickens and fast, blurry movements. After a full year of sitting on her ass feeling sorry for herself she had gained weight. A lot of weight, even if it didn't show. And then, a few weeks in captivity she had lost too much of it and neither case was good for her health. Angel kept her fat and muscular, making sure that the intake of calories was slightly higher than the amount the training burned off. As a result, her tummy was finally at that state were it wasn't flat but well toned with the slight slopes of a- for the moment- four-pack. The rest of her body followed the same pattern and she would spent so many minutes after every shower admiring it. It felt right to look like this, she decided, and went to sleep with a lighter heart.

* * *

Training left her with little time to wander how Angel knew all that he knew... In fact, she could barely think straight at all. Angel would often find her staring blankly at her chicken soups (the most simple, spartan dinner he could make) and he could just about picture the cogs in her head gathering dust.

Every action and reaction, whether it was during training or not, was purely instinctual. If he tried to make conversation with her (which he didn't), all her responses would be muted hums and growls. Even when his questions required more than a yes or no.

Frankly, it was frustrating. At least there was noticeable progress, otherwise he would have called the plan off and reported the lot of them to the feeling in his gut telling him it was suicide became less and less prominent everyday and he wondered if he was somehow losing touch with reality. Disobidience was met with draconian punishments, the higher the status the greater the shame. The girl and Lightning's new apprentice had nothing to worry about; the boy would probably be kicked out from the world of the Exorcists while retaining the temptaint, but her they would let off easy. 'Pet project' was an accurate term, especially the pet part. In his and Lewin's case though, they could face punishment equal to execution. So many years of hard work and dedication would be thrown out the window if this little scheme didn't work out.

However, he was adamant to go through with it. Lightning was always right about things like that. His suggestion that Kazume tagged along to one of his 'expeditions' seemed like a good idea. Angel, despite not having trained anyone since Leah first joined the Order, preferred to work with functioning human beings, not brain-dead, demon infested, machines.

It was during one such dinner that he suggested Lewin's idea to her. She barely looked up at him and gave no sign of agreement or disagreement. Her eyes seemed dull as they met his, before slowly dropping down to her food again. She did not touch it for the rest of the evening and was sent to her room without any more words. It was clearly up to him whether or not she was willing.

* * *

She was rather conscious about her black circles the morning after. She had stayed up all night, mulling over what Angel told her. Of course the man would have been just a tad bit sensitive breaching the subject if Lewin had explained to him that the location they were 'exploring' was more than just a house linked to the Illuminati. It was Logan's apartment. Or it used to be; Eva had inherited the place, along with everything other than the leather jacket, that Maira had been given before Logan's untimely death.

Maira had spent a few nights at the apartment, feeling like she was visiting her biological, weekend dad and going home to her foster family the next day. It was torture, looking at her family and realizing she was one of them rather than Logan's. Her parents had been willfully ignorant of what was going on in the world. Had she not been blessed by Sentinel, how different would she be? Would she be like Felix, numb inside but forced to pretend everything was great?

She admitted to feeling bad about her sister. She used to be so caring but as they grew older- as Maira saw the world for what it was and left her family behind in the dark- they grew apart and Felix was left with no one to talk to or get away with. Her picture of her- one from a Halloween party five years back- was all that was left from the 'old' Felix. She had gone as a '20s heiress, and held herself like one too. Maira wasn't in the picture, but she remembered she had dressed up as a nun. Nathan wormed his way into the party dressed like Van Hellsing. It had been the first and last night the three had hung out and Maira thought of it as one of the best nights of her life.

The exhausting routine went as usual; if anything was slightly different, it was Angel's part in all of this. He was going easier on her, abandoning his usually harsh stance and giving her just enough time to respond. She never landed on the training mat during that session. After her twenty-or-so minute nap, Angel send her straight to Lewin with a juice box in hand. Finding the man's office was easier now that she was using Sentinel more. It had become easier to do pretty much anything, actually.

The stench of a person who spent more time working than taking care of himself hit her like a freight train. It was odd how two people so starkly different like Lewin and Angel could be friends. Speaking of which, Bon had obviously been absent for at least a week, seeing as there were plates of half eaten, half rotten food and papers everywhere. At least, she thought bitterly, the guy could catch a break doing what he did best; school stuff.

Lewin looked up from where he was hunched over his laptop, his insomnia- riddled eyes barely registering the fact she was there at all. Even as he looked away from his screen, his fingers kept working, tippity-typing furiously like his life depended on it. Carefully stepping over a crunched sandwich wrapping, Maira approached the fuming pile of trash that was his desk, only barely keeping herself from covering her nostrils. Was that rotting fish she was smelling?

"So- the mission?" She was painfully aware of how strained her voice was- not breathing did that to a person- but Lewin didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, yes, give me just a moment." He punctuated each word with decisive taps. The buttons ground against what she could only imagine as bread crumbs under the keyboard. She tried not to dive to the nearest window and throw the panes open. Why did they give the overground room to _this_ guy?

"Done!" He chirped, the absent minded, hazy expression gone, as if it was never there. "Now-" he stifled a burp, "the apartment? You see, there's a bit of a problem."

Maira did not, this time, restrain herself and rolled her eyes. He caught that one. "Change in ownership and all that. Castillo put wards against our key portals and changed locks. Any ideas?"She almost laughed.

"That's not a problem in my book. Fake stone under the east balcony has a key to the kitchen window. I can climb through easy- peasy." Lewin looked at her with his mouth pressed into a hard line. "Logan was rather... stocky. How did he plan to climb through his window?"

"He didn't. Eva used to use way back when. She probably doesn't think anyone else knows. Worth checking out?"

"Of course." He let his laptop rest on the precarious pile and dusted himself off. "Shall we go?"

* * *

The apartment was large; larger than one lone man needed. It helped greatly that the other apartments weren't rented too. A few families had come and gone in the years Maira knew Logan, but they all found better places to live in after a few months. Logan had been the only long term tenant since Eva and her mother moved out almost a decade ago. The lack of possible witnesses made scaling the wall to the first story with a key clenched between her teeth all the more easier.

The small window was easy to open, but twisting her body through it was a little harder. Her leg made contact with a stray vase and it nearly crashed to the floor before Angel's training kicked in and she caught it between her ankles. She pushed herself in further, momentarily becoming stuck in the sink before the rest of her upper body was inside. The whole ordeal took about five minutes, which, to be honest, was too long but if Lightning was still waiting outside, it was good enough or her.

The interior was the same as she remembered it; the kitchen was pristine as it always was after the _ant incident_, save for the think coat of dust; clearly no one had bothered living in here. Maira moved to the living room, where the front door was. The dust was just as think, hanging on the basket of laundered clothes, on the TV, on the bookcase full of vinyl discs and on the air. She covered her nose and mouth with a hankie to avoid the nasty coughing fit that was coming. Stupidly, she tried to open the door without unlocking it. The locks had changed. Of course.

Maira could only imagine where Lightning's mind had wandered off to, but it was definitely not on the mission seeing as he nearly jumped off the railing when the door went flying past him.

"So much for _covert_." He said, a certain coldness behind his usually bored tone.

"Yeah well, fuck it."

"And charming too."

Before she could wonder where he got his sarcasm from, Lightning pushed past her, inside the apartment. "Well," he said and put his hands on his hips "this looks promising."

"What are we looking for?"

"Anything that might suggest Castillo has been here. If she went through the trouble of changing locks and putting up wards, there's bound to be something interesting here." He moved to browse Logan's vinyl collection, disturbing a particularly think blanket of dust. Lightning didn't cough.

Maira decided that the bathroom wouldn't turn up anything interesting and decided to check Logan's bedroom. It was void of most personal affects, spartan. The walls were white, the floor was worn and the bed sheets had been a simple beige, once. Now they looked a sickly grey and Maira didn't want to go near them. A quick check in the closet came up fruitless. She was about to leave the room when she saw it; a small, oval shaped frame on the night stand. She didn't need to see the picture. She remembered gifting it to him all those years ago.

_Logan was glowering as Leah practically danced next to him. She had somehow managed to set him up with both a glittery birthday hat and an over sized cupcake with an equally ridiculous '?' candle wedged in it. Maira looked down an her own, smaller cupcake with the blue icing and wondered if it was weird that she got along with Logan so well. He was a father figure to here, everyone knew. But at the same time, she thought, she wasn't sure if that's how one was supposed to be with their father. Her biological dad barely acknowledged her existence, probably forgot her name at times. He never spoke to her; only when a particularly bad argument with her mom was brewing and he sent her to her room. But even that had stopped when Maira simply stopped spending time at home._

_It was also odd how, despite everything Logan had done for them, all her classmates managed to be intimidated by him. Maybe Nathan was on better terms, but that was only because he would sometimes come and pick her up from Logan's apartment. Maira sighed, swallowed her uncertainty and retrieved the small, pink package from her backpack- Leah had been the one to wrap it- and slid off the desk she'd been sitting on. Nathan turned to her, confused, but was soon drawn back into the conversation he was having._

_Logan peered at her from under his stupid birthday hat- it was sliding off and he was done with sacrificing his dignity to straighten it. She mumbled a happy birthday before basically shoving the present under his nose. She was aware her classmates had taken note of what was happening, even if they didn't go out of their way to comment on it. Logan set the cupcake on the teacher's desk and took the small thing from her hands. He ripped the wrapping with surprising gentleness and his lips quirked up when he finally saw the gift._

_"It's from when i was little. Leah keeps an archive." Said woman darted off to tend to her students when her name came up, but Logan paid no heed._

The picture, slightly worn in colors, was of a smiling five year old holding up her wrist with the swirling mark proudly, and a grinning man who held her, looking at the photographer rather than the lens.

In a dazed shuffle, Maira left the room. Her eyes stung horribly and she could almost taste the blood.

She stumbled to the next room, trying hard to focus on the reassurance Sentinel's presence gave off and, as soon as her eyes cleared, she saw it.

Beautiful dark stem, framed by even prettier, blue petals. Deathbell.

* * *

**I got around to reading older chapters of this and realised something; I gotta sit down and rewrite a few things. Nothing major, just a few fixes here and there. Also not happening anytime soon.**

**I wanted to let the chapter end in a less sad note but I don't think anyone could ever fully get over something so horrible as what I've bestowed upon Maira. Grief and loss are always going to be part of this fic, sometimes more prominent.  
**

**Next up, the Exwires are coming back, in full force. And they're bloody pissed.**


End file.
